


Pride, Admiration and Respect

by BusterMom



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Case Fic, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-11 11:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5624947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BusterMom/pseuds/BusterMom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes following your heart isn't the easiest path. When a NYPD case involving a Colombian drug kingpin arrives on Five-0's doorstep it becomes apparent that sometimes all the help you need is right where you never wanted to look. (Includes Duke Lukela, Adam "Toast" Charles and an Original Female Character). Some violence...lots of Danny whump! (COMPLETE STORY)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N This story has been sitting on my computer for longer than I care to admit. I managed to get about three chapters written, then hit a brick wall. So it sat on my hard drive, lonely and dejected and ultimately totally forgotten.
> 
> Then one day, while having a discussion with one of my favorite writers on these pages, I happened to mention my long ago, barely written story. She insisted that I needed to go back and read through it again and try my best to finish it. So after many fits, starts, stops, rewrites and frayed nerves, here it is at last, finally complete. 
> 
> I want to thank all those who encouraged me to finish this and/or were an inspiration simply because of the awesomeness of their own stories, but I especially want to thank the one and only @Jlopie1. My Ohana sistah from another mistah was instrumental in helping me get this down on paper (on screen?). She was also kind enough (or brave enough) to serve as my Beta to make sure I didn’t make any dumb mistakes. I love you Lynnette!
> 
> I also want to thank good ‘ole Google for helping me with Oahu streets, landmarks and any medical information contained in my story, among other things. I am no expert in any of these areas so please excuse anything that’s not totally accurate. It is “make believe” after all. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Just like everyone always says I own nothing of H50 or its characters. If you’ve never heard of a character before, then he or she is mine. If anything you read sounds even vaguely familiar... it belongs to CBS. 
> 
> FYI: This story is also posted on FanFiction.net. Please note my name on that site is CentralMom.

Danny rolled over. “What the hell?” was the first thought that formed in his groggy brain as the noise invaded his quiet slumber. “What the hell time is it?” was the second. He rolled over again in an attempt to look at the clock and there it was again, that sharp, obnoxious noise. When he forced his eyes open he realized the sun was just beginning to barely creep over the horizon. He squinted at the clock. 5:00 am. “Too early,” he mumbled to himself. “And what the hell is that noise?” Danny dragged himself out of his bed and shuffled to the front door. Peering through the small window set in the door, he couldn’t see where the noise was coming from. Getting more annoyed by the minute, he opened the door so he could look up and down his street to try to determine what was going on.

It was only after he’d opened the door that he noticed his neighbor, Mrs. Kapiaoni, outside, in her bathrobe. She was struggling to keep a very small, very wiggly, puppy under control as it sniffed and shuffled all around her front yard, trying to find _**the**_ most perfect spot to pee. Full of energy and youthful exuberance, the puppy was yelping and barking and having a grand old time with absolutely no regard to the fact that it was before the ass crack of dawn. After a few moments, Mrs. Kapiaoni turned, and seeing Danny looking out his door, gave him a little wave and an apologetic smile as she bent over, picked up the puppy and retreated into her house. Danny just shook his head and hoped the puppy learned the morning routine quickly so this didn’t happen every damn day.

Now that he was up Danny figured he might as well get ready for work. Forty-five minutes later, after a shower, his usual multi-layered hair routine and some breakfast, Danny was in the Camaro on the way to the office. The last couple of weeks had been pretty quiet. It was actually nice to catch up on some paperwork and enjoy the company of Kono and Chin in the office. Steve, however, was like a caged lion when it was quiet. He wasn’t a person who handled down time well so when Steve’s phone rang just as Danny was walking in the door and he saw Steve’s face light up, he knew their quiet spell was at an end.  
  
“What’s up?” Danny asked as Steve hurried into his office.

“Something’s going down at a warehouse down by the docks. HPD’s had it under surveillance for a while in a suspected drug case but now there is evidence of possible international involvement and the Governor wants us to check it out.” “Chin,” Steve called out. “Grab the OP gear. You and Kono meet us there. HPD is already on their way.”

Danny just rolled his eyes. “A warehouse! Why does it always have to be a damn warehouse?” Danny muttered. As they headed toward the door, Steve looked over his shoulder at Danny and smiled like they were about to head out to some kind of fun party. Danny groaned as Steve chuckled at him.  
  
But, once they arrived on scene, all of Steve senses were on high alert. Something didn’t seem right. HPD was already there, surrounding the building, but something was off. There were no other cars outside the warehouse other than HPD. Was the tip reliable? Was there really something going down in there? Steve and Danny carefully approached the building as Chin and Kono did the same from the opposite direction. Now that Five-0 was there, HPD fell back and let Five-0 take lead.

Steve and Danny went in by a side door. Slowly and methodically they picked their way around the many crates, pallets and general junk that filled the warehouse. With weapons drawn, on full alert, they listened for any evidence of others in the cavernous space.

“I don’t like this. It’s too quiet. Is HPD sure about this Steve? Steve? Steven?!” Danny whispered as loud as he dared but Steve wasn’t answering him. He was too busy doing that doggie head tilt thing he did whenever he heard or thought he heard something no one else could hear. Damned friggin’ annoying if you asked him but also incredibly useful at times like these. Of course, Danny would never give Steve the satisfaction of hearing him say that out loud. After several long nerve wracking moments, Danny began to hear what Steve must have already picked up on. Voices, muffled at first, became clearer as they moved further inside. Crouching behind even more large crates they could see several thugs with guns standing around another man who was tied to a chair.  
  
“I am disappointed, my friend. You led me to believe that you could handle the amount of merchandise we were sending to Hawaii. You have overestimated my patience,” said the man standing in front of the chair, obviously in charge of the situation. He was tall, rather big in build and spoke with a clear South American accent.  
  
“I’m sorry. I never meant to mislead you. My contacts, they… they …” said the frightened man in the chair before he was cut off mid-sentence.

“I do not need your apologies. They mean nothing to me when I have to call Cordoba and tell him you have failed. What do you think he will tell me to do, eh?” asked the first man. “Yes, I see by the look in your eyes you know exactly what he will tell me to do.”

The large man slowly moved his gun hand closer to the head of his quivering captive who looked on the verge of either throwing up or passing out. Watching from their position behind the crates, Danny thought if it were physically possible, the man just might simultaneously do both. The gunman, however, was in no great hurry. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely; the power he had over his captive, the way he was able to reduce him to a cowering mess.

Steve knew time was rapidly running out for the man in the chair. He quickly calculated his position, distance and trajectory of any shots fired, and set his sights on the would be killer.

Danny watched as Steve ran through his mental checklist, impatiently tapping his fingers on his knee as he waited for Steve to puzzle through every possible scenario and outcome. “This would be a good time babe!” he whispered.

“I know Danny,” Steve replied. “The guy keeps moving. I don’t want to hit the hostage.” But just then, the gunman moved into a better position and Steve took the shot.

Except that he didn’t. Just as Steve was about to squeeze the trigger a shot rang out from a totally different direction. Both Steve and Danny jumped in surprise and ducked their heads low behind their crate shelter, worried about being hit by the shot which came from God only knew where.

“What the hell?” Danny yelped. “Where did that come from? Was that Chin or Kono?”

“I don’t know,” Steve replied. “Do you have eyes on them?”

“No. But that shot was precise, classic Kono. But I don’t see her anywhere.”

That first shot _**had**_ been precise, hitting the gunman’s hand and knocking the gun away. But it also succeeded in causing every single person within the confined space to reach for their guns and start shooting. It was coming from everywhere.

“Do I have to remind you that I hate this… I hate this _**so**_ much!” Danny bellowed as shots were ricocheting off the floor and the crates all around them. “What the hell is this? Huh? Where the hell is HPD? I’d like to get home to see Grace again, ya know! Not all of us thrive on armed conflict, Steven!”

“Yes... yes…. I know…. I know! You can regale me with all the reasons why this is your least favorite scenario in the entire universe and how... somehow… it will end up being all my fault, later, ok? Steve countered. “Right now, we need to get eyes on our people and stop this before the wrong people get hurt!”

“That’s a wonderful idea, babe ... by all means… after you.” Danny waved his hand in the direction of all the commotion to indicate that Steve could go right ahead and try to control this chaos!


	2. Chapter 2

Checking their positions carefully, Steve and Danny emerged from behind the crates. Finally, they saw Chin and Kono along with HPD officers engaged in the fight. Relieved to have the others in sight, they immediately joined in. With all hands on deck and HPD backing them up it didn’t take long to bring order to the area. After several minutes, the fight was over with several perps dead and two in custody.   
  
“What in the hell is going on here?” Steve angrily asked the ranking HPD officer once everyone was secure. Danny and Kono were making a sweep of the warehouse to be sure there weren’t any more would be shooters lurking in hiding. “We were told to check out this warehouse, not that a fire fight was likely to break out!”  
  
“Commander McGarrett, you, as well as I, know there is no way of knowing when things will get out of hand,” answered the officer. “We had word that a possible drug deal was going down in this warehouse. You were called in by the Governor to investigate the possibility of international involvement. Now we know for sure that is the case. This man,” he kicked the foot of the dead man on the floor, “is Carlos Escabar and he is the right hand of Emilio Cordoba. Perhaps you have heard of him?”

Steve nodded. “Of course I’ve heard of him. He’s the supposed leader of the Colombian cartel. I heard cocaine is their number one product for export. Damn, that’s the last thing Hawaii needs!”  
  
“Exactly. Now you understand why you are here.”  
  
For the first time Steve looked at the two who managed not to die in the shootout. He was extremely surprised to see that one of them was a woman. While he waited for Danny and Kono to finish their sweep of the building he and Chin watched as the HPD officers loaded the suspects into the police van for the trip to HQ for questioning. Finally, Danny and Kono returned and declared the rest of the warehouse clear. Together, they left to get back to HQ so they could question the suspects and try to get to the bottom of it all.  
  
When the police van arrived at HQ, the suspects were taken to separate interrogation rooms. While Danny and Chin questioned the man, Steve and Kono went in to talk to the woman.   
  
“Well, well, well… isn’t it interesting that you’re here” Kono began. Steve decided to let Kono begin the questioning while he stood in the background, tucked into the shadows of the room, arms crossed and bulging, with his best Navy SEAL scowl firmly in place. Good cop-bad cop type of thing.   
  
“Why is that so interesting?” the woman asked.   
  
“I wasn’t under the impression that the Colombian cartel had any use for women other than arm candy, prostitutes and bait, but here you are, apparently just one of the boys,” Kono said. “Now why don’t you tell us what’s going on and we can get this over with. This isn’t going to go well for you. If you cooperate things might go a bit easier”.

“Do you really think so?” the women asked with a smirk on her face. She knew perfectly well what Kono was trying to do. What Kono didn’t know was that it was totally unnecessary. “You really don’t need to go through all of this, you know.”  
  
Kono actually laughed. She looked at Steve and he too thought the suspect’s attitude was a bit comical.  
  
“Yeah? And, why’s that?” Steve asked.

“Because I’m a cop.”

“I beg your pardon… you’re a cop? If that’s so, why didn’t you identify yourself at the warehouse?” Kono asked.  
  
“I didn’t want……” she began but stopped when the door opened. She gave a very visible sigh of relief when Chin walked in, which wasn’t missed by Steve’s keen eye.   
  
“You get anything out of the other guy?” Steve asked Chin  
  
“Nothing. He totally clammed up. All we have is his name. Alejandro Jiménez. He was still carrying his plane ticket. Danny is still trying to get into his head. Any luck in here?”  
  
Steve looked at the woman cuffed to the chair. She was young…he suspected she was not yet thirty. There was also something vaguely familiar about her. He just couldn’t put his finger on it but he could have sworn he knew her from somewhere. He needed information and decided to go about it from a different angle. He would be good cop and try again.

“Ok… let’s start this again. We heard the conversation before the shooting started. Cordoba and the Colombian cartel are trying to bring their cocaine into Hawaii. Sounded like the distribution machine wasn’t fleshed out very well. Now you’re in here and you want us to believe you’re a cop. I think you need to explain yourself and you need to do it now. Let’s start with your name. We can run it and find out if you’re telling us the truth”.

“There it is again”, Steve thought. This young woman was definitely nervous and Steve had a feeling it didn’t have anything to do with why she was cuffed to the chair.

The young woman mulled it over in her mind for a moment. She knew they would check her out and find she was telling the truth. That was the good news. But the consequences of them knowing who she was would be far harder to face. But there was nothing for it.  
  
“My name is Annie Williams, 12th precinct, NYPD” she replied.  
  
“Ok,” Steve answered. “Chin, check her out.” It didn’t take long. Chin was back in under 15 minutes with word that she was telling the truth. Annie rubbed her wrists after Steve removed the cuffs and sat back in a more comfortable position.   
  
“Alright,” Steve said, “let’s have it... what’s going on?”  
  
Just as Annie was about to answer the door opened again and Danny walked in. “Sorry Steve, I’m not getting anywhere with that guy... he just won’t…..” Danny stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of Annie.  
  
“What the hell is this?” he bellowed. “What are you doing here?”  
  
Annie sheepishly looked up and a small smile spread across her face, like a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Hi Danny!” she said.  
  
Steve looked back and forth between Danny and Annie as they spoke trying to figure out what was going on. “Wait… you two know each other?” he asked.  
  
“You could say that,” Danny replied and Annie countered, “He’s my brother!”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Steve was finding it very difficult not to laugh. He wanted to, but he was quite certain about two things. The first being that the events in the warehouse were not the least bit funny and they really needed to know what the hell was going on and second, he was positive Danny would beat the shit out of him if he laughed now. But Danny was standing there… well… actually, he wasn’t standing, he was pacing and ranting and waving his arms and he just looked so comical that Steve was having a very hard time keeping it together. Annie, on the other hand, was sitting at the conference table, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. She seemed extremely interested in the unique pattern of the cracks in the ceiling while at the same time looking spectacularly bored. She had seen this performance from her brother too many times before to be bothered or impressed by it. Chin and Kono were just sitting at the table enjoying the show.  
  
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Danny raged at Annie. “Colombian drug dealers? Are you out of your mind? How the hell did a rookie cop get inside that organization? And what the hell is this about NYPD? You’re supposed to be working in East Orange! When did this happen? Mom and Pop never told me about this. How did this happen and no one tell me?” It seemed to go on and on but finally Danny stopped to take an actual breath and Steve took the opportunity to jump in. Throwing Danny a withering look that clearly told him it was time to get down to business, he turned to Annie.  
  
“Ok, fill us in on what was going down and how you’re involved in all of this.”  
  
Annie took a deep breath, looked directly at Danny, and said “As hard as this will be for you, I know, please just try to keep your mouth shut until I get this out.” Danny folded his arms across his chest as if physically trying to control himself.  
  
“First of all, dear brother, I am _**not**_ a rookie cop. You have selective amnesia and only remember what you want to. And I am _**not**_ in Cordoba’s organization!” She then addressed her story directly at Steve.

“I graduated from the Academy almost 4 years ago and went to work in Newark. Unfortunately for me, everyone on the force knew my dear brother here and, of course, they all respected him and his ability as a cop. That was a lot to live up to. Danny has a lot of friends on the force and it was like having a hundred big brothers on my ass all the time. It was stifling. Add to that my father is a friend of the Chief of Police and he felt he owed it to my Dad to make sure nothing happened to me. So, I found myself spending most of my time at elementary schools on playground patrol. I didn’t become a cop to be a babysitter. Hoping for a real shot at being a cop, I decided to transfer to East Orange. Unfortunately, it wasn't much better there. Family ties run deep in Jersey. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I moved to New York, transferred to NYPD, and was assigned to the Narcotics Division.  
  
She looked to Danny. “I told Mom and Dad not to tell you, Danny. I knew you’d hate it and try to talk me out of it and harp on it every time we spoke. I knew you’d worry about me all the time and hate that I was in New York. I intended to tell you the next time you came home to visit the folks but then this case came up and, well, this is not the way I intended for you to find out.”  
  
Danny looked like he was about to put his fist through the wall but somehow managed to contain himself. Steve was amazed. He’d actually never seen that before. He was beginning to think he could really like this girl.  
  
Annie continued. “About 6 months ago NYPD began following the movements of the Colombian cartel in NYC. After dozens of dead ends, it finally looked like the cartel had made a mistake. NYPD tracked a shipment and several major players to a drop down on the docks. It was the first time we heard that Cordoba himself was going to be in on the drop. He never shows up himself for these types of things, preferring to leave it to his lieutenants. My partner Tony and I were one of a dozen different units dispatched to bring them down. But it was a trap. We were one of the first units in when all hell broke loose. Until today I’d never heard so much shooting. We were holding our own when all of a sudden one of the perps came out from behind a large dumpster and took aim right at me. I never saw him but Tony did.”  
  
Annie’s eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall as she remembered how it went down. Danny looked like he was getting paler by the minute… afraid of what she was about to say. Annie swallowed hard and in a barely audible voice said “Tony pushed me out of the way, he saved my life but he…he…” She looked up at Steve “he had a wife and a three-year-old son and he gave his life for mine. I see his face every time I close my eyes. I hear that shot in my sleep. That little boy is growing up without his father because of me. I just couldn’t let it go.”  
  
Steve nodded. Of course, he understood. Even after all these years, there were still nights when he relived every OP that had ever gone bad in his mind. And the moment when his father was murdered still haunted his dreams. He understood exactly what it felt like to hear that shot over and over in your sleep. Chin, Kono and Danny were nodding too but this was Danny’s baby sister, and nothing about this case was sitting well with him. Going after the Colombian cartel to avenge her dead partner wasn’t something Danny wanted to think about her doing. He hated it on so many levels that they were going to have to invent new levels so he could hate it even more. They were just in the middle of a shootout where she was one of only two people to survive. The thought of what could have happened froze Danny’s heart. What would he tell their mother? Danny swallowed a huge lump that seemed to spontaneously form in his throat.  
  
While Danny silently fumed, Annie went on with her story. “After that, Narcotics continued to work the case, digging into any and all information they could find, no matter how insignificant it seemed. About 6 weeks ago they stumbled onto some intel that showed Cordoba was expanding his distribution into Hawaii. Like I said, normally he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty but, hey, this is Hawaii right? I guess he wanted to check it out for himself. Why give up a chance to visit paradise, right? I followed him here.

Actually, I was going to follow him on my own until my Captain got wind of what I was planning. I still don’t know how he found out but he said if I was determined to come to Hawaii, he didn’t want me to go rogue. He arranged a temporary assignment with HPD. When the raid went down today I was sent in with a plain clothes HPD squad. Well, you know what happened after that. When the shooting stopped the rest of the squad was busy clearing the scene and the uniforms didn’t realize who I was. Since I was with the one perp left they just assumed I was one of the bad guys and hauled me in here. I didn’t identify myself on the spot because I had seen Danny and didn’t want to have to deal with him in the middle of all of that.”

Danny gave her an extremely dirty look but Annie ignored him and just went on. “Look… with everyone taken down in the bust and with Escobar dead Cordoba is seriously compromised. We need to regroup and go after him before he gets back in business. He’s not going to abandon Hawaii. He feels it’s a fresh market for his coke but he’s now down several of his top men. We have to strike now,” she finished excitedly.

Danny didn’t know what to do with himself. Pushing off from the wall he’d been using to brace himself and running his hands through his hair, he began walking in circles of frustration. Finally, he stopped in his tracks directly in front of Annie.

“Hold on…. _**we**_ aren’t going to do anything because _**you**_ are out of this! If you think for one minute, I’m going to allow you to continue with this reckless behavior… you’re going to get yourself killed. Oh no... no... no… not while I have something to say about it. I have enough to deal with trying to keep _**this**_ one,” he disgustedly waved his hand in Steve’s direction, “from getting himself killed without having to worry about you too.”  
  
Annie was livid. “Allow?! And what the hell do you mean “as long as you have something to say about it?” You have _**nothing**_ to say about it. You are not the boss of me!!”

“I am your eldest brother”  
  
“So what?! I’m not 12 anymore, Danny.”

“Well, you’re acting like it, doing stupid shit without thinking about the consequences.”

“Oh sure… you’re always the responsible one, aren’t you?”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean? You’ve never complained whenever I’ve gotten you out of trouble before.”

“Oh God, Danny, you do not have to protect me anymore.”

“Really?? It seems like I do!”  
  
It was like watching a tennis match. Steve, Chin and Kono looked from one to the other and back again. It seemed like it would never stop. Finally, Steve broke in and brought it to an end.  
  
“Ok... hold up a minute! She’s right, Danny. With Escobar and most of Cordoba’s top men dead this is the time to take him down and get him out of Hawaii for good.” Annie looked gratefully at Steve but before she could say anything, Steve continued. “But, Annie, Danny is also right. We can’t go off half-cocked without knowing all the facts and having a cohesive plan, and that’s going to take a little time. We have no real evidence to prove Cordoba is even in Hawaii and a sweep of the warehouse today turned up nothing. We can’t even get him for murder of the guy they were holding there because everyone involved today is dead. Well, except for the one guy we have in custody and he’s not saying a word. He knows he’s a dead man if he does. We have no evidence at all about what Cordoba may be up to.”  
  
“Well,” Annie said, “we may have something. After the bust went bad, after Tony…. well, we searched the warehouse from top to bottom. While I was in the office I went through the desk there and I found a flash drive. I couldn’t open the files on it, they’re all encrypted, so I don’t know what’s on there. Hell, it could be pictures of Cordoba’s kid’s birthday party, for all I know, but it was in that office where Cordoba was conducting business.”

“Where is it now?” Chin asked. “Breaking the encryption shouldn’t be all that difficult, we’ve done it plenty of times before.”  
  
“It’s in my hotel room. I didn’t want to run the risk of losing it by carrying it around with me”.

“Why didn’t you give it to your superiors at NYPD when you found it?” Steve asked. “That would have been standard procedure.” Danny actually snorted at Steve’s reference to “procedure.” Steve just gave him an exasperated look and turned his attention back to Annie.

She looked quizzically between them. “I know... I should have. But… I don’t know... it just didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to hand it over and run the risk of never knowing what was on it. I don’t know why but something made me hold on to it.”

“Ok, Chin, you and Kono go through everything you can find on Cordoba and the Colombian cartel. Have another go at the other suspect, maybe you two can get something out of him. I want all the information you can gather on this. Danny and I will go with Annie back to the hotel and retrieve that flash drive.” Steve said.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The Camaro pulled up in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and rolled to a stop. Danny opened the passenger side door and held the front seat so Annie could climb out of the back. “Do you want to explain to me how you got the NYPD to pay for you to stay in this hotel?” he asked.  
  
“Well,” Annie replied, “NYPD isn’t exactly paying for the hotel. My captain arranged for my temporary assignment with HPD so I’m getting my usual pay to be here but my accommodations are strictly on me. I didn’t know how long I was going to be here and an apartment requires a lease commitment and, God, are things expensive here!”  
  
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Danny snickered.  
  
Annie continued “so, since I only figured to be here a week or so, I just took a room here.”  
  
“Ummm, didn’t you say you’ve been here over a month?” Steve asked “They must pay their officers better in New York then they do here.”  
  
“Yeah, well, no they don’t actually.”  
  
They had made their way to Annie’s room on the 7th floor as they talked. When they got to the door of her room, Danny noticed that it had been forced open, the door jab splintered and wood chips all over the floor. All three of them drew their weapons, advancing into the room.  
  
Just as they suspected the room was trashed. Everything had been tossed, even the pictures on the walls were now on the floor. They proceeded to check out all the rooms. “Clear”... “Clear”.... “Clear here”... rang out as they each checked in.  
  
“So, I guess we can assume that whatever was on that flash drive weren’t pictures of Cordoba’s kid’s birthday after all.” Danny said. “Damn, now we got nothing.”  
  
“Maybe not.” Annie said as she moved across the room toward the bathroom. Steve and Danny looked at each other and shook their heads. Women! Always heading to the bathroom at the most inopportune times. A few seconds later, Annie emerged with a sly grin on her face and the flash drive in her hand.  
  
“You have it!” Danny said “They totally trashed this place. How could they not find it?”  
  
“Because they didn’t look in the one place men never look and the one place I always hide my most valuable things…. a box of tampons,” Annie smugly replied.  
  
Annie looked at Steve who had the most peculiar look on his face. “What made you think of that!?” Steve asked. “Saw it in a TV show once,” she answered with a sideways glance. He smiled at her in a cute, knowing way and let it go. Danny was looking at the two of them like they were both crazy. Well, of course, he knew his partner was crazy and his sister had always driven him nuts. Now he was dealing with them both at the same time. How was this his life??  
  
Steve hid his smile at Danny’s exasperation. Danny exasperated was nothing new and, as usual, was quite entertaining. It was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one who could get under Danny’s skin. The way Annie handled her gun, entered, and cleared the room reminded him a lot of Danny. It was a little disconcerting but, yes, he could definitely start to like this girl.  
  
“Ok,” he said. “We need to get that flash drive back to Chin so he can crack the encryption and see what’s on it. The next thing we have to do is get you out of here. Cordoba not only knows who you are and that you have that flash drive, he knows you’re in Hawaii and that you’re staying here. Obviously you can’t just take another room.”  
  
They were making their way back to the Camaro. “Yeah, well, I was going to have to check out in the next day or so anyway,” Annie said. “Because, no, NYPD does not pay any better than HPD and this room has been going on my credit card which has definitely hit its limit. So, I need to be out of here in any case.”  
  
Steve could see Danny was about to blow again. “Wait, you’re telling me that you’ve maxed out your credit card and you’re just _**now**_ coming to the conclusion that you need to find another place to stay!? What the hell is the matter with you?!? Do you know how hard it is to find a decent place to live on this miserable island that doesn’t cost the gross national product of a small country?!? Why did you wait so long?!? I will never understand you Annie! Just like always, never planning ahead, going off without any idea……”  
  
“Stop it, Danny,” Annie snapped as they all stopped at the Camaro.  
  
“I will not stop it! You do this all the time, never think ahead about what your actions might cause. You didn’t have to do this alone, Annie! You come 5000 miles from home with no money and you max out your credit card on a high priced hotel and you never once, _**once**_ , picked up the phone and let me know you were here! I could have helped you, I could have……”

“What? You could have what, Danny?” Annie raged right back. “Could have spent all your time telling me what I’m doing wrong, telling me how to run _**my**_ investigation and telling me how I should have never left Jersey? Why do you think I didn’t tell you I was here?!?”  
  
“Ok... ok...” Steve interrupted even though he was kind of enjoying the show. Watching someone else drive Danny crazy was very entertaining and Annie could certainly hold her own. The Williams household must have been one hell of a place growing up, he thought. “We need to figure out our next step, and to me, that means getting you somewhere safe. She can’t stay with you Danny.”  
  
“She’s _**my**_ sister, Steven! Of course she can stay with me!”

“That’s not what I meant” Steve said. “I mean, of course, she can stay with you but you only have the two bedrooms for you and Grace. And Gracie’s bed is a single so she and Annie wouldn’t be able to share.

Danny knew Steve was right but he wasn’t ready to admit it as they drove back to HQ. Steve knew he had won this round but he also knew Danny wouldn’t go down quietly even if he was currently sitting in the passenger seat staring out the window and not saying a word. Never a good sign.  
  
Annie sat in the back seat and watched them curiously. Danny called home every week to talk to the folks and his sisters and he always spoke of the Neanderthal partner he’d gotten stuck with, how he was sure he wouldn’t live to see his next birthday because of this guy, how he was always going off without backup and not following rules and on and on and on. He told them about big cases they’d been involved in and the number of times Steve had been hurt because he’d gone off on his own. He told them numerous times about how he’d been “forced” to sit by Steve’s bedside while the pain-in-the-ass recovered from whatever latest disaster he’d gotten himself into.

They all knew Danny wasn’t telling them everything but it was enough for them all to hear the bond that was forming between the two men. The more Danny ranted and complained the more Mom knew Danny had found a real true friend. The fact that Danny called him “Steven” the way he always called Matty “Matthew,” and their sister Patty, “Patricia” showed the affection Danny felt for Steve. Now, after spending almost an entire day with them herself, she could see that Danny had found someone special in Steve and she could also tell that Danny knew it, too.  
  
They arrived back at HQ to find Chin and Kono at the computer table pouring over all the intel they had managed to gather on Cordoba and the cartel so far. They still hadn’t managed to get the other suspect to give them anything, probably because there wasn’t anything for him to give. At this point it looked like he was just a flunky who didn’t know anything except how to duck when the bullets began flying. Steve hoped the flash drive he handed over to Chin would prove more useful.  
  
“What have we got guys?” Steve asked as he walked into HQ, Danny and Annie trailing behind.  
  
“Well,” said Chin “so far we have determined that Cordoba is in Hawaii. Obviously he doesn’t care that we know he’s here. TSA says he traveled under his own name and he’s staying at one of the private villas at Kailua Beach, ostensibly on vacation. No need to hide that he’s here. The dead perps from the warehouse, as well as our guest down the hall, all check out as Cordoba’s men but there is no way to legally link their presence here with anything Cordoba is up to. The bank of lawyers he always has traveling with him will say it’s just a coincidence they are all here in Hawaii on vacation.”

Kono looked toward Annie as she continued the brief. “Even though everyone knows what Cordoba is into, there is no solid evidence to arrest him on any of it, as you well know, Annie. I have reached out to your Captain and he’s forwarding all the information on the case from the NYPD file to us. Maybe that will help.”  
  
Annie nodded her head. “Well, hopefully between NYPD, HPD and Five-0, we can finally put an end to this slime ball.”  
  
Steve reached into his pocket and handed the flash drive to Chin. “Here, maybe this will help. Someone trashed Annie’s room at the Hilton but they didn’t manage to find this. Crack the encryption, Chin, and let’s see if we can find what we need to shut this down.”

“On it,” Chin replied as he took the flash drive and inserted it into the Smart Table to work his magic, “but it may take some time depending on how many layers of encryption it has.”

“Right.” Steve answered. Then turning to Annie he said “Ok, what we need to do first off is find you a place to stay that is safe. Like we said, there is no way you can go back to the Hilton now and Danny’s place really isn’t an option.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to look for a flop house or something.” Annie said. “Do they even have flop houses in Hawaii?”  
  
Steve laughed. “Probably but I have a better idea. For now, you can stay at my place.”  
  
“No… no way, Steven,” Danny bellowed  
  
Steve looked at Danny like he had two heads. “Why not? It’s not like I don’t have the extra rooms. She can sleep in Mary’s old room. Beats the hell out of having to crash on your sofa. Cordoba doesn’t know where it is or that she’d even be there. She could lay low while we try to figure out what’s going on.”

“I just don’t like it, that’s all. She’s my sister Steven. I should be the one to take care of her,” Danny said.  
  
“Oh…. whoa…. wait a minute!” Annie bellowed. “I do not need to be “taken care of” Danny.”  
  
“No?? Who got herself into this mess in the first place? I am your brother. I have the right to tell you you’re being a reckless jackass and the last thing I need is for you to be hanging out with _**this one**_ …” Danny said as he waved his thumb at Steve. “He’s the most reckless of them all. Who the hell knows what you two will get yourselves into if left to your own devices?!”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve questioned.

“What’s that supposed to mean??? Are you serious? I am not leaving you two alone in that house of yours. Who knows what ideas you will come up with between you?” Danny actually blushed a bit as he said it.  
  
“Oh my God, Danny, you can’t be serious? She’s your sister, for crying out loud!”

“And that means, what, exactly? I see how all the women look at you. There is no way in hell you don’t see it too.”  
  
“You actually think I would….? Wow….”  
  
“Do not “wow” me, Steven!”  
  
Annie looked back and forth between the two men, getting increasingly angry as each moment passed. At one point she looked to Chin and Kono, who were smirking at the entire exchange.

“Are they always like this?” Annie asked.

Kono laughed as she flung an arm around Annie’s shoulders. “You have no idea, sistah”.  
  
Finally, Annie couldn’t stand it another second.  
  
_**“Stop,”**_ she bellowed, “that’s enough! Oh my God…Gertrude and Blanche at the Laundromat! Enough! First of all, _**You**_!” she said, poking her finger into her brother’s chest. “I repeat… _**I do not need to be taken care of!**_   I am a uniformed and currently undercover police officer with the New York City Police Department, for Christ’s sake! I know how to take care of myself.”

“And _**You**_!” she said swinging around to face Steve who literally backed away a few steps. “I don’t care if half the female population of this island think you are sex on a stick…” she trailed off seeing the blush rising up from his neck. She’d made her point!  
  
Steve cleared his throat “Look, I just thought you’d be more comfortable there. I mean, there is plenty of room, and it’s right on the beach. But if you’d rather find somewhere else of your own choosing, that’s fine too, as long as we can make sure it’s secure.”  
  
Annie thought about it for a second. She was so angry at Danny at this moment the thought of taking Steve up on his offer just to piss Danny off was very appealing. Then one word Steve had said registered in her brain.

“Did you say beach?”

When a small smirk spread across Steve’s face and he nodded, Annie made her decision.  
  
“Well…. I suppose it’s not such a bad idea after all,” she said, smiling as she watched Danny throw his arms into the air in defeat.

“My stuff is still at the hotel in varying degrees of damage. I don’t think I should go back there and get it, though.”  
  
“Don’t worry about that” Kono said. “I can take a uniform with me and get your stuff. I’ll bring it by Steve’s place sometime later. Don’t want anyone watching to see where I’m taking it, after all. Would blow the whole secrecy thing, ya know?”  
  
Annie smiled. She could get to like hanging around these people. “Thanks, Kono,” she smiled.  
  
“Ok, well, that’s settled.” Steve said. “What do you say we call it a day and meet up at my place for a barbeque later tonight? Come on Annie. You can ride with me and Danny out to the house so you can get yourself settled in. Oh... Danno…. stop sulking. It’s not the end of the world you know. I promise I’ll behave myself,” he added with a laugh.  
  
“I hate you…you know that, right?”

“Not true…you love me and you know it!”  
  
Annie just shook her head and tried to hide the smile that was spreading across her face. It was good to hear Danny ranting at a “brother” again. She had missed it. The next few days should prove to be very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... Annie hid the flash drive in a box of tampons. It was an idea she got from seeing it done in a TV show once. Can anyone tell me what TV show she saw it in?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: At the end of Chapter 4 I asked you guys if you knew what TV show Annie got the “hide the flash drive in a box of tampons” idea from. For those of you who came up with the right answer, I congratulate you on being hardcore Alex fans. 
> 
> For those who thought it seemed familiar but couldn’t quite place it and for those who didn’t know, the idea came from an episode of Alex’s series Moonlight. In Episode #16, entitled “Fated to Pretend”, Beth finds the backup flash drive of her murdered boss in the woman’s bathroom hidden in a box of tampons. She tells Mick she knew to look there because she always hides her valuables the same way.  
> That’s why Steve had a “peculiar look on his face” and why, when Annie told him she “saw it in a TV show once,” he “smiled at her in a cute, knowing way”. In my mind, in that one moment, I wasn’t writing Steve… I was writing Alex! 
> 
> Ok…enough silliness. On with the story!

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The three of them arrived at Steve’s house just as the sun was beginning to set. As they walked through the house and out to the lānai, Annie caught her first view of the sunset over Steve’s private beach. The pink, purple and yellow swirls of color in the sky took her breath away.

She turned to Steve and said, “How on earth can you ever bear to leave this place? It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Steve smiled at her, a warm inviting smile that said how pleased he was that she found his home so beautiful. Danny plopped down into a chair, folded his arms across his chest and literally growled!  
  
“What?” Steve asked.  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
“Really? Because it sounded like you had some kind of smart ass remark to make with regard to the view. A view, I might add, that you have enjoyed plenty of times yourself, in your comfortable chair, beer in hand, after a particularly hard day. Or maybe it’s not the view you object to. Maybe it’s that the view is attached to the beach. Or is it because your sister seems to like it so much? Which is it, Danny? The fact that it’s the beach or that your sister seems to have instantly fallen in love with it?”  
  
Annie just laughed while Danny continued to scowl. “Don’t mind him Steve. Danny and beaches have never been very copacetic,” she said before a look that was both serious and perhaps a bit frightened crossed her face.  
  
“Steve knows exactly why I don’t like beaches or the water, Annie, so don’t look so worried.”  
  
Annie was actually quite surprised. She knew for a fact that Danny had never spoken to anyone outside the family about Billy Selway and the tragic accident that took his life at the Jersey shore when they were kids. She also knew he never forgot that Billy died trying to save him and that it ate away at him for years. Billy had been like a brother to him and when he died, Danny had clung to family more than ever, especially to Matty. Then Danny had lost him, too. In long hours of late night phone calls between them, Annie had tried in vain to convince Danny, cop to cop, there wasn’t anything he could have done to stop Matty from leaving, short of shooting him and they both knew neither one of them would have been able to do that. Steve had been there for Danny through it all. And Danny had told Steve about Billy. If she didn’t think so before, she knew it for sure now. Danny had indeed found a brother to place his trust in again and Annie couldn’t be happier about it.

She was just about to remark on the situation further when she heard a happy “Anybody home?” come from inside the house as Kono arrived, having picked up what she could salvage of Annie’s belongings from the Hilton.

“Howzit, Sistah? They did quite a number on that room of yours. There was barely anything left that wasn’t torn to bits. I did the best I could. We can go shopping for anything else you may need tomorrow if you want to.”

“Thanks Kono. I just wish everything around here wasn’t so expensive.”

“Don’t worry... it’s Hawaii. You can get by with a few pairs of shorts, some jeans, tank tops and slippahs. That won’t cost a whole lot. Besides, I know of a few places where the prices aren’t mind blowing!” Kono laughed.

Annie felt an instant kinship with Kono. While she loved her sisters with all her heart, they never quite understood her and her desire to be a cop. They especially didn’t understand her move from Jersey to New York. In Kono, Annie saw someone very much like herself, someone who also followed a beloved relative into the line of duty. She knew they were going to get along, as well as work together, very well.

“Well, now that that’s taken care of, Annie, I’ll show you where you can lay your head while you’re here,” Steve said. “You can use my sister’s old room. I hope you don’t mind that it’s filled with Gracie’s stuff. That’s the room she usually stays in when she and Danny spend the weekend here.”

Annie just laughed. “I don’t mind in the least. As a matter of fact, I’m looking forward to seeing my favorite niece. It’s been so long. I bet she’s grown two feet since I last saw her.”

For the first time since they all arrived Danny’s face broke out into a smile. The thought of his favorite sister and his wonderful daughter spending time together again instantly brightened his sour mood.

“Yeah” he said. “Grace will be very excited to hear you’re in Hawaii. She loves it here too. Crazy sand and water loving creature that she is. We spend quite a lot of time here on this beach. She and Steve are in cahoots to drive me crazy.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Cahoots, Danny?”

“That’s what I said, Steven, cahoots! It’s a perfectly good word and one that perfectly describes the way you have corrupted my beautiful angel and turned her into some kind of little mermaid who can’t seem to let a day go by without leaping headfirst into the nearest body of water. I totally blame you for that my friend,” Danny countered.

Annie looked to Kono who just laughed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, they’re always like this!” Kono said.

Once Danny was done with his little tirade, he picked up his phone to call Rachel and ask that, even though it was her week with Grace, would she mind bringing her over to Steve’s because her Aunt Annie had decided to make a “surprise visit” to Hawaii. Rachel was more than happy for Grace to spend time with her favorite aunt, so after a little while Rachel dropped her off. As predicted Grace was thrilled to see Annie and Steve was sure every bird on the island took flight when the excited squeal of delight exploded out of her as she laid eyes on her aunt for the first time in ages.

“Oh my God…. just look at you,” Annie cried as Gracie flung herself into Annie’s arms. “Look how beautiful you are! I can’t believe it! Danny, the pictures you sent home do not do this beauty justice!”

Grace giggled and beamed at the compliment from her favorite aunt. Annie, being the youngest of all Danny’s siblings had a special relationship with Grace from the moment she was born. They were kindred spirits, full of life, laughter and adventure. Gracie immediately launched into a non-stop ramble about everything that was going on in her life, school and friends and cheerleading competitions. How Uncle Steve and Auntie Kono were teaching her how to surf and how Danno was convinced she was going to either burn to a crisp from too much sun or get eaten by a shark. Watching the two of them together again, Danny found himself getting a bit choked up. Finally running out of verbal steam Grace dragged Annie into the house so they could get into swimsuits and Grace could show her how good she was getting on her board. Danny was insistent that Steve go along to make sure Grace was safe from those dreaded sharks, so off he went to get into his board shorts as well.

Annie marveled at the way Steve was with Grace. She didn’t expect the tough Navy man to be good with kids, but he was supportive, yet gentle, as he instructed Grace, and was boisterous in his praise when she nailed a wave. And it was more than obvious that Grace adored her Uncle Steve. Annie began to look at Steve in a new light. This man was special. Special to Danny, special to Grace. She was beginning to wonder if he could be special to her, too.

When Chin arrived, they all settled in for a bit of grilling and lots of beer and laughter. The hours flew by as Chin and Kono took great pleasure in filling Annie in on all the adventures the team had had, careful to leave out the most gruesome details, until after Gracie had dozed off. There was no reason she needed to hear about North Korea or WoFat or any of the other more traumatic events the team, and especially Steve, had lived through.

When it became clear that Grace was out for the count Danny decided it was a good time to call it a night and take her home.

“Ok... I’m gonna hit the road and put this monkey properly to bed.” He turned toward Steve and Annie and shook an accusatory finger at them both. “You two behave yourselves tonight. I don’t want to hear about any shenanigans the two of you get yourselves into. Do you understand me? _**Both**_ of you?”

Steve innocently shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Danny. Go home. Put Grace to bed. Everything will be fine. I promise not to corrupt your baby sister in the few hours you’re gone.”

“Don’t worry Steve. I doubt there is anything you can do to corrupt me any more than I already am. You forget I grew up in the same house as Danny and Matt. Not to mention a firehouse full of my Dad’s buddies always around. Add to that years on the police force in both Jersey and New York. I doubt there is anything you can show me that I haven’t already seen, or done.”

Danny gave a visible shudder. “God help me!”

Putting a calming hand on Danny’s shoulder Chin steered him toward the lānai door. “Come on Danny. Kono and I will walk you out. Kono, grab Gracie’s backpack, would you? I’ll get the door, Danny, while you carry Grace.”

Finally, after one last warning look over his shoulder from Danny, Steve and Annie had the house to themselves.

“Honestly, he treats me like I’m still 14 years old and the neighborhood boys came sniffing around.” Annie said somewhere between amused and annoyed. “I’m going to go grab a shower. Can I trust you not to attack me while I’m in there?” She joked.

Steve laughed too but then looked at her seriously. “You know that’s not what Danny is really worried about, right? You know as well as I do that he swings his words around as much as he does his arms and says things he doesn’t mean as a defense against what’s really bothering him.” At Annie’s nod, he continued. “You’re a good cop, Annie, anyone can see that and you’re obviously not afraid to tackle tough assignments head on. That’s what worries him. The mere fact that you’re here because you followed a Colombian drug lord all the way from New York in an attempt to take him out, is scaring him to death. He’s always calling me a ‘danger magnet’ and a crazy ninja SEAL. He’s worried my so-called crazy ideas will rub off on you and you’ll be as reckless as he’s always accusing me of being. I’m surprised he didn’t warn me not to blow up the house while you’re in it.”

Annie nodded in understanding then asked, eyes twinkling, “Is that a real possibility?”

With a twinkle in his eye, Steve nonchalantly shrugged. “Probably not”.

“Oh, well, in that case, I guess it’s safe for me to shower after all,” she laughed as she headed for the stairs leading to the second floor.

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

  
It was several hours later when Steve was prodded awake from a deep sleep. At first he wasn’t sure what had woken him but then…. there…. he heard something; something different from the rhythmic cascade of waves and breezes which usually came through his bedroom windows at night. Sounds so ingrained it seemed too quiet when he slept in places other than home. But this sound was out of place. Someone was downstairs moving around. It took a second, as he reached for his gun in the night stand, to remember Annie was in the house. Closing the drawer, he rolled out of bed, pulled his favorite Navy T-shirt on over his sleep pants, and headed downstairs.

He found her leaning against the rail of the lānai, beer in hand, watching what little of the waves she could make out in the moonlight. Not wanting to startle her with his approach, he softly cleared his throat.

“Hey... you ok?”

“Yeah... you know how it is. First night in an unfamiliar place is always a bit disconcerting.”

Steve had to chuckle at that. “As a Navy SEAL who never knew from one night to the next where he was going to lay his head, I’m glad I never suffered from that particular malady. I’d have never gotten a wink of sleep.”

“Yeah... I suppose that’s true.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not much to talk about really. I’d hoped all this noise from the ocean would drown out the gun shot this time but no such luck,” she replied wearily.

Steve sighed. “Did Danny ever tell you about my dad, about why I came back to Hawaii?”

A little apprehensively, Annie replied, “Yes.”

“It was months, Annie… _**months**_ … before I didn’t re-live that phone call in my sleep almost every night. Some nights, out of the clear blue, I’d just jolt awake from the sound of the shot. No warning. Just BAM…. AWAKE! I thought I’d go out of my mind. But eventually, it got better and the nightmares, well, they never completely went away but they became less frequent, more manageable. Catching his killer helped a lot.”

Annie nodded sadly. “I guess that’s part of it. Tony is dead but Cordoba is still out there. How many more, Steve? How many more will die before I can stop him?”

“Before _**we**_ stop him, Annie,” Steve swore. “And we will stop him. You can count on that.”

“What makes you so sure? Cordoba has gotten away so many times in the past. I didn’t even know what the man looked like until I saw the TSA info Chin pulled up today. Every file picture we had of him was either out of focus or obscured. Like I said before, he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty so he stays away from places. Whenever he did go anywhere he used his private plane. Does make me wonder why he flew commercial this time, though. Anyway, how do you catch someone who makes it a point to stay hidden so no one can find him most of the time?”

“Annie... Five-0 has caught more than a few high profile criminals on the same level as Cordoba, or worse. I have no doubt that with our resources and your help and intel, we’ll bring Cordoba down as well. But that’s not all that’s bothering you, is it?”

“No... it’s not. I just can’t put my finger on it but something just doesn’t ring right. When Tony and I were sent to that warehouse we were the newest team members on that case. We were thrilled to be included at the time but looking back I can’t help but ask myself why we were. I had been assigned to the case first and I requested Tony be involved, too. We were a good team, Tony and I. Up to that point, we’d both been working desks the entire time, when all of a sudden we were strapping on vests and heading to that warehouse. The task force being sent in was huge, there were plenty of officers to handle the raid. Why send a couple of newbies?” Annie puzzled.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s an interesting question and something we can look into when the files Kono requested from your precinct arrive. The files you and Tony were working on… did you find anything significant?”

“Depends,” Annie answered. “There were several references to another player in the game. Someone Cordoba relied on, consulted with and sometimes deferred to. But we were never able to narrow down who he was because as evasive as Cordoba is, this guy was even worse. Absolutely no evidence as to who he could be, only vague references to _**“him”**_ in the documents. But he had to be someone big for Cordoba to allow him anywhere near his organization.”

Steve put his hand on Annie’s shoulder. “You can’t spend the entire night standing here trying to puzzle it out. Come on. Come inside and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow the files from New York will be here. With all of us putting our heads together we’ll come up with something.”

“Ok,” Annie agreed. She really was exhausted and a good night's sleep would go a long way in helping make sense of things. “Thanks for listening Steve. See you in the morning.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story and have favorited and followed it and left wonderful reviews. Thank you for being patient with me while I attempt to set everything up. I hope I am succeeding. This chapter will finally set in place the relationships between our three main characters as we move forward. It’s a fun little chapter which I hope you’ll enjoy before we begin to really move into the case which brought Annie to Oahu in the first place. Mahalo again!

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Annie was suddenly aware of a bright light in her face. Burrowing under the covers only slightly diminished the excruciatingly obnoxious brightness. It occurred to her that this was why, during her weeks at the Hilton, she always made sure the heavy, light-blocking curtains were drawn closed. When she had first checked in and seen the gorgeous view from the balcony door, she was loath to cover it. Then morning had arrived and… yes… it was exactly like this. Lifting her head, and with one eye squinting toward the window, she realized this room didn’t even have those types of curtains. This room had lovely light weight curtains which seductively moved with the breezes but were woefully inadequate in blocking any light brighter than a firefly.

Giving up going back to sleep as a lost cause, she got out of bed and, after stumbling to the guest bathroom to take care of business and throwing on a pair of running shorts and T-shirt Steve had loaned her, she headed down to the kitchen. She wondered why the house was so quiet until she noticed the piece of paper stuck to the front of the fridge with a magnet in the shape of a monkey.

_"Annie: Went out for a morning swim. Make yourself at home. I’ll be back in about an hour. Steve”_

Annie just shook her head and headed for the coffee pot. Although she was no slouch at the gym she never understood people who could jump into their daily workout without at least a cup of coffee under their belt. She worked quickly and had a pot of the most wonderful smelling coffee brewed in no time. Now that she was fully awake she could really appreciate the beautiful, sunny view outside the kitchen window. “How is it that people actually get to live like this all the time? Must feel like a dream,” she thought to herself.

Opening a couple of cabinets, she finally found the coffee mugs. As she was reaching for one, she glanced out the window over the sink. There in the distance but moving closer to shore was Steve. She was amazed at how effortlessly he cut through the water especially since he was on his way back and would surely be tired after such a long swim. She reached into the cabinet and took down a second mug. She also found the sugar bowl and added a liberal amount of sugar to her cup. Since she didn’t know how Steve liked his coffee, she simply poured him a cup.

With both mugs in hand, Annie headed toward the two Adirondack chairs situated down where the grass ended and the sand began. Placing the coffees on the small table between the chairs she sat down to enjoy the warm sun, and the view, as Steve made his way in from the surf.  
  
“Dear God,” Annie gasped as Steve fully emerged from the sea... rising like some Greek god of mythology. “He is magnificent.” She quickly diverted her eyes and buried her face in her hot coffee mug in the hopes she could pass off her blushing face on the steam rising from the coffee. After taking a large gulp in an attempt to steady her nerves, she placed the mug back on the table, not paying much attention to where it landed.

“Hey, you!” Steve greeted her as he moved closer. “Good morning”.

“Good morning,” she replied.

“I see you found the coffee,” he said as he reached for the towel he’d thrown over the back of the chair earlier and began to dry off.

“Yes... your kitchen is amazingly well organized for a man who lives alone. My mother would be impressed.” Annie looked out at the water; looked up at the waving palm trees... anywhere but at Steve as he rubbed the towel down his well-muscled arms and chiseled abs.

“Occupational hazard of years in the military and daily inspections, I guess,” he laughed. “I assume one of those coffees is for me?”

“Oh... yeah... of course.”

Annie reached over the table and handed Steve his coffee. A second later she was jolted out of her attempt to not look at him when he yelped, “Aughhh… oh my God…. are you trying to kill me? There’s enough sugar in there to sweeten the entire Pacific Ocean!!!”

“I’m sorry…. I didn’t realize I’d given you my cup. But…. oh, come on…. there isn’t that much sugar in there…. don’t exaggerate,” Annie laughed. “Besides, if you don’t like sugar why do you even have it in there, right next to the coffee mugs?”

“That would be because of me.” Both Annie and Steve turned to see Danny making his way toward them, laughing it up and carrying a large pink box with the name “Leonard’s” printed on it. “Our dear friend here could easily live his entire life on sticks, twigs, nuts and seaweed. It’s up to me to bring some flavor and sweetness into his life. And on the topic of sweetness, I present for your breakfast dining pleasure the greatest thing since Krispy Kreme donuts. Leonard’s malasadas. And do not roll your eyes at me Steven. I’ve seen you put away plenty of these when you think no one's watching.”

“Ohhhhhhh I love these,” Annie squealed in delight. “The guys in the squad room at HPD brought these in all the time. They are to die for. Oh and another thing…. Coco Puffs from Liliha Bakery. Oh my God…. they are positively orgasmic!”

“God help me,” Steve said in exasperation, “there are two of you!”

Both Danny’s and Annie’s uproarious laughter didn’t seem to stop them from shoveling malasadas like there was no tomorrow. Unable to resist the sight of the two siblings’ obvious enjoyment at his expense, Steve couldn’t help joining in on the laughter as he reached for a malasada and waved it dramatically in from of Danny’s nose.

“Watch me, Daniel... watch while I eat this! Do you see me... eating it while I _**know**_ you are watching?!”

Danny tried to bat the malasada out of Steve’s hand while Steve continued to dance just out of reach. If you didn’t know any better you’d think they were 10 years old, the two of them.

As Annie sat back in her chair, her coffee and malasada in hand, enjoying the camaraderie between the two men, she realized something. Yes, Steve may be an extraordinarily gorgeous man, fun, smart and exciting. But he was also Danny’s best friend and the closest thing he had to a brother now. And Annie realized something else. While Steve was impressed with her skills as a cop and obviously enjoyed her company, he looked at her the same way Danny did, like a sister. Putting aside her totally understandable reaction to him earlier, she realized having both Danny Williams and Steve McGarrett as big brothers wasn’t such a bad thing at all.

As a matter of fact, it felt wonderfully familiar, the way Danny and Matt had always had her back growing up. She wondered, not for the first time, how things could have gone so terrible wrong with Matt. It made her sad to think of the brother they had all lost. She decided to accept this new “brother” like Danny had, as an unexpected yet wonderful gift.

“Oh my God, just look at the two of you! I hope you don’t act like this out in the field, people will talk!” Annie laughed.

“Oh... don’t think they don’t talk already!” Steve countered. “If I hear someone ask how long we’ve been married one more time I may just have to blow their face off.”

“Temper... temper, dear,” Danny teased.

The three of them settled down and finished their coffee and malasadas while enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful morning on Steve’s beach. But as tempting as it was to linger for as long as possible, finally Steve decided it was time to get the day officially started.

“I’m going to head in and shower. We should get into the office and see if those files from New York have uploaded to our server yet. We have a lot of work to do if we’re ever going to figure out what the hell is going on with this case.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” Annie answered, “but I really hate the idea of a hot, stuffy office when there’s this beautiful beach to enjoy. Promise me, when this is over, I can just enjoy this for a few days before I have to head home!”

Steve looked at Annie warmly. “You can stay for as long as you like, Annie. You are more than welcome!” With that, Steve walked up the lawn and into the house.

“He’s quite a guy, Danny. I can see why you like it here so much,” Annie commented.

“Oh no… not you too! He’s my partner, Annie. My _**work**_ partner and my best friend. That’s all.” The color in Danny’s face was beginning to rise but Annie put a stop to it immediately.

“Relax Danny. I know. I can see it. I haven’t seen you like this since the best days back home with Matt. The way you and Steve goad at each other, the way you fight and laugh and have each other’s backs. It’s wonderful to see. I’m so happy you found a home here, bro, and someone to help make it a home. Someone who’s a brother, who can help you carry the weight. I’m happy for you Danny. Steve is a great friend and Grace obviously adores him. You’re good for each other. God help the criminal element on this island,” she laughed good-naturedly

Danny looked at Annie closely. A warm and loving smile spread across his face as he realized she wasn’t kidding. Rising from his chair and pulling Annie from hers he wrapped her in a warm, strong embrace.

“Have I told you how wonderful it is to have you here? No, I’m sure I haven’t. I’ve been too crazy with worry to stop and say how much it means to me to have you here. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”

Annie laughed indulgently. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” she teased.

“Ok guys... are you ready to leave? We’d better get a move on. It’s getting late.” Steve had arrived freshly showered and dressed and ready to attack the day.

“How the hell are you already done?” Annie asked amazed. “You only left here literally five minutes ago. What are you, an alien or something? How the hell did you get done so fast?”

Danny just laughed, throwing an arm over Annie’s shoulders. “Don’t ask, kiddo. I’m sure he’d only tell you it’s “classified.”

“Very funny, Danno.”

“Well, you might be ready to leave but, obviously, I’m not,” Annie said looking down at herself, at the too long shorts hanging almost to her knees and the incredibly comfortable yet tattered old T-shirt. “And I can guarantee it’s going to take me more than five minutes to get ready”.

At Steve’s groan, Annie laughed. “Don’t worry Steve. It won’t be that long. Way less then Danny would take, I promise. After all, I don’t need thirty minutes just for my hair”.

“Hey... don’t be hating on the hair, Sis!”

Steve just shook his head and with a smile on his face sat down in his chair to enjoy another malasada.


	7. Chapter 7

They arrived at HQ thirty minutes or so after Chin and Kono had gotten there. While Danny headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, Steve and Annie headed to the smart table where Chin and Kono were going through files.

“So,” Steve said, “it looks like the NYPD files arrived as promised.”

“Yup,” Kono replied. “We’re just going through it all now, boss.”

“Ok... fill me in.”

“Emilio Cordoba,” Chin started as he swiped the only picture of Cordoba they had, the one from TSA, onto the overhead screen. “Aged forty-five. Spent his youth working for various small-time hoods in the drug trade in and around Cartagena. Eventually he concentrated more in Cartagena proper, taking advantage of the booming tourist trade. Tourists with money to spend, looking for more kicks than margaritas. From what NYPD could gather from various US Customs, DEA and other agency files and from local informants, he moved up the ranks quickly. His good looks and likeable personality served him well. A “smile and handshake” temperament which conveniently hid the knife he was more than willing to plunge into anyone’s back.”

As Danny returned from the kitchen, Kono took over. “Which he did repeatedly as he moved up the ranks. Which is also why, at the age of thirty-five, he became the youngest head of the cartel in decades. That was ten years ago. At that time word was spreading that a possible joint DEA/US Customs raid was imminent. Cordoba, then acting lieutenant to cartel head Diego Andres, came up with a plan to protect Andres, the cocaine and the cash. But Cordoba set him up. While Andres sat in a safe house Cordoba had arranged for him and several of his top men, Cordoba moved a majority of the drugs and cash to an undisclosed location, leaving only a small amount of each behind along with instructions on where to find Andres. By the time Andres figured out what Cordoba had done it was too late.”

Chin continued. “Of course, Andres and his men weren’t going down without a fight. It was a bloodbath. When the dust cleared and the bodies taken away, Cordoba stepped right in. With the drugs and cash he’d managed to hide away, what was left of Andres’ organization was ripe for the picking. Cordoba walked right in and was set.”

Danny looked over to Annie. “Is there anything in there that’s new to you?”

“No. That’s the evidence jacket off my desk back home. Nothing new there, unfortunately. Where’s the rest?”

“Rest?”

“Yeah, there were several files Tony and I hadn’t gotten to review yet when we were called to join the raid. By the time I got back to our desks all the case files had been turned over to the lead investigating team. My continuing on the case was deemed a “conflict of interest.”

“Because of your closeness with Tony,” Steve remarked.

Annie sadly nodded her head.

“This is all we got from NYPD,” Kono added. “Maybe the other files ended up being unimportant so they didn’t bother to include them in the transfer.”

“You’re probably right, Annie said. “My Captain is a good guy. If the files were pertinent, he’d have sent them.”

“What about that flash drive, Chin?” Steve asked. “We get anywhere with that?”

“I’m sorry to say I haven’t been able to crack the damn thing.”

“What?” Danny squawked. “You? You couldn’t crack it?”

Chin ducked his head a notch and smiled at Danny. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, brah, but unfortunately, whoever encoded it knew what he was doing. It has 1024-bit encryption which means the password is 309 numbers long which also means there is no way to crack the damn thing without the code. I’ve got Toast holed up in an office downstairs working on it as we speak. He thinks he’ll be able to crack it eventually with his software, but it’s going to take time.”

Just then Steve’s phone buzzed. Checking the caller ID first, he put the call on speaker and answered. “Go ahead Duke…. you’re on speaker.”

“Steve... a body has been found in Kualoa Regional Park. I think you better come and take a look at this. I’m sending you the coordinates now.”

“Coordinates?” Danny asked

“Yeah… It’s definitely off the beaten path.”

“Ok Duke, we’ll be there as soon as we can,” Steve replied as he ended the call. “Danny, you, Annie and I will check this out. You two keep digging. We’ll be back as soon as we see whatever it is Duke finds so fascinating.”

Forty-five minutes later, they arrived at Kualoa Ranch where they were met by Duke at the parking area. Sitting off to the side were several ATVs. Taking one look at them Danny shook his head.

“Oh man... this really is gonna be a body dump in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it, if we’re gonna need those to get there?” He looked over at Annie. “Definitely not an alley in Newark, eh, sis?”

“You can say that again. The crimes never change, bro, but at least the scenery is a lot better.”

“Duke,” Steve called as Sgt. Lukela moved away from the uniforms he’d been talking to and joined them. “What do we know so far?”

“Two hikers found the body late yesterday evening, around dusk. Because of where it’s located it took them until this morning to report it. They hiked until it got dark, made camp for the night, then called it in first thing this morning when they made it back into cell phone range. They said they didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary leading up to the discovery of the body.”

“Ok... let’s mount up and head up there and see what we have.”

It took them almost an hour to arrive at the area where the body had been dumped. Annie couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the area in which they traveled. The trees, the rising cliffs, babbling springs and brooks along the way. It was almost easy to forget they were headed to a possible murder scene. She made a mental note to add this place to her “things to see and do in Hawaii before I have to go home” list.

The body was a mess. Whoever dumped him made no attempt to bury him but he was none the less covered in dirt. That, mixed with the extremely large amount of blood made for a huge, smelly mess. It hadn’t been there long enough for it to degrade or dry out.

“What it is... Max?” Danny said in greeting to the Medical Examiner, already crouched low over the body doing his preliminary exam. As Max stood Danny made the introductions.

“Max... this is my sister, Officer Annie Williams, NYPD… Annie…. Dr. Max Bergman... our ME and resident genius on all things... well…. Dead.”

“Mahalo for that kind introduction, Detective Williams, and it is my sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, Officer Williams.”

“Detective Williams…. Officer Williams… sounds way too formal, Max, not to mention a bit confusing. Whatcha say to just calling me Annie?”

“Why, thank you very much Annie... it would be my pleasure.”

“Ok... now that we have the pleasantries out of the way,” Steve chuckled, “what can you tell us, Max?”

“Preliminary examination of the body determines cause of death will most likely be the GSW to the back of the head, but as you can see Commander, our victim was subjected to multiple blows around the head and chest area, as well as cuts, contusions and burns. Ligature marks to his wrists and ankles indicate he was forcibly restrained while being struck and the burns indicate torture. His facial injuries consist of a broken mandible and fracture to his left orbital bone, most likely caused by a blow with a heavy object of some sort.”

“Someone wanted something from this guy and were willing to torture him to get it,” Annie commented.

“An astute observation, Annie. I would estimate by the varying shades of coloration of many of the bruises that his, ummm, interrogation, lasted several hours. If he hadn’t died from the GSW he would have succumbed to his other injuries in short order. He was not, in fact, killed elsewhere and dumped. The amount of damage to the victim’s bare feet indicate he was forced to walk a significant distance. The amount of blood pooled beneath the body as well as the blood spatter patterns on the surrounding fauna and flora indicate the victim was indeed killed here. Liver temperature puts time of death at approximately 8pm yesterday and no attempt was made to bury the body, only a perfunctory covering of leaves and debris.”

“Any idea who this guy is, Max?” Danny asked.

“Due to the amount of damage to his head and neck, facial recognition is quite out of the question. However, I was able to identify our victim by running his fingerprints through AFIS. His name is Alejandro Jiménez.”

“Jiménez? How? He’s supposed to be in lock up at HPD?” Steve directed his question to Duke.

“Jiménez walked early yesterday afternoon Steve. There wasn’t enough evidence to hold him. The public defender assigned to him was able to convince the judge he wasn’t a flight risk and HPD had no choice but to let him go”, Duke replied

Steve stole a quick look towards Annie, which Danny did not miss. “We need to get back to HQ and re-group as quickly as possible,” Steve said. “It’s obvious Cordoba had Jiménez followed the moment he walked out of jail and wanted to know what, if anything, he told us about what went down at that warehouse yesterday morning.”

Danny paled. “And since he was one of only two people to get out of there alive and both of them were taken to HPD that could mean…..” he trailed off, looking at Annie.

“He’s got someone following me as well,” Annie finished. “Steve... he probably knows I’m staying at your place, too.”

“Duke! I want 24-hour surveillance around my house but make sure they stay completely out of sight. No blue-and-white parked outside the front door, understand? We don’t want Cordoba to know we’re on to him. Let’s head back. Max! Let us know the minute you find anything more.”

“Understood Commander,” Max replied as Steve, Danny and Annie made their way back to the ATVs.

Once they were all back in Steve’s truck, he took off like a bat out of hell. “Jesus,” Annie cried as she hung onto the grab handle over her head. “Cordoba can’t kill me if I’m already dead in a car crash. Is he always like this?”

“Have you or have you not been listening to me every time I call? You think this is bad? You should see him driving the Camaro... my car! I’m telling you Nascar is safer than riding with this guy when he has a full head of steam going. He’s determined to shave years off my life every time I get into a moving vehicle with him. I remember once……”

“ _ **Not**_ the time, Danny!” Steve said through clenched teeth as he maneuvered the truck into the oncoming lane to get around a slow moving SUV, only to have to immediately swerve back to avoid a car heading straight for them.

“Not the time, he says. No, it’s never the time, is it Steve? Slow down!! HQ isn’t going anywhere and I’d like to see my Gracie again!”

“That makes two of us,” Annie agreed. She shook her head and looked at Danny. “I thought you were…. you know…. just being you with the bitching and complaining. This is…. this is…..”

 _ **“What?!?”**_ Steve countered.

“Nothing… just… nothing. Just watch the road, will you??”

To Annie’s amazement, they made it back to HQ in under thirty minutes. Steve literally propelling the truck into his parking spot with an impressive screeching of tires that made both Annie and Danny cross themselves in thankful prayer that they’d made it back alive and in one piece. They quickly piled out of the truck and headed inside so they could fill in Chin and Kono on the latest development.

“What could Cordoba want so badly from Jiménez?” Kono wondered. “He was a low level punk, muscle only. It’s really unlikely he’d have any intel on what was going on.”

“The flash drive,” Annie answered. “It’s the only explanation. You’re right, Jiménez was a punk, no real value to the organization. There is no way he’d know anything about anything worthwhile enough to be tortured over. Whatever is on that flash drive is. Cordoba thought Jiménez either had it or knew where it was.”

“Wait…” Danny interrupted, “that doesn’t make sense. You said you found that flash drive back in New York months ago. Why would Cordoba torture anyone over it now instead of back when it first went missing?”

“That’s a good question,” Steve said. “Could he have only discovered it was gone recently?”

“Or it’s a copy,” Annie speculated.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it for a second. If that flash drive is a copy, then obviously, there was an original. If something happened to the original, it was compromised or destroyed somehow, Cordoba would need the copy. Could be he only remembered there even was a copy when something happened to the original. Then he went to look for the copy and realized it was gone.”

“What kind of idiot would just throw a copy of something that important into an office desk drawer and then forget about it?” Danny asked.

“The kind of man who trusts his people to do what they are supposed to do or pay the price with their lives if they don’t. Obviously, someone screwed up badly and didn’t protect that copy as he should have. I’m guessing the fish in the East River got a spectacular dinner surprise the night Cordoba discovered that copy was gone.”

“And now he knows you have it.” Steve interjected. “They trashed your room looking for it. Probably after they realized Jiménez was no use to them and took him on this death march, they went to the Hilton and searched your room. Tell me, Annie, was Jiménez part of the bust in New York when Tony was killed?”

“Now that you mention it, he did look very familiar to me when I saw him yesterday. Cordoba does not change his minions often; he likes familiar faces around him. It’s entirely possible Jiménez was in that warehouse when the bust went wrong.”

“So, that was the only piece of useful information Cordoba was able to get from him. That he recognized you as well from New York. That’s how Cordoba knew you were here,” Danny concluded.

“Any word from Toast on that flash drive yet Chin?”

“Not yet boss, but you know Toast is the best. If it’s taking him this long, it must be harder to crack than even he thought,” Chin replied.

“Damn... we _**need**_ to know what’s on that thing!”

“I know, Steve. I’ll go check and see if I can get an update,” Chin said as he left the bullpen and headed down to the office where Toast was holed up, determined to set a bit of a fire under his ass before Steve barged in there and rendered Toast completely useless with fear.


	8. Chapter 8

It was a beautiful day. The breeze cascading in from the sea and over the lush vegetation below, carried with it the perfume of Plumeria mixed with the salty sea air. It was almost intoxicating. Lounging on the massive deck overlooking Kailua Bay, Cordoba was a happy man. Yes, there had been a snag in the plan, but he was an intelligent man and intelligent men knew not every road was smooth. Bumps happened. All that was needed was for them to be dealt with, so plans could once again more forward. Besides, all the imbeciles responsible for the latest delay had been dealt with most effectively. All that was left was the child. He could only think of her as such; too young, too idealistic to know when to back off. Too inexperienced to know not to take what didn’t belong to her.

As he relaxed, pondering the view, he became aware of the presence of another. Without turning, he raised his glass in greeting.

“Welcome, my friend. I trust your flight was pleasant?”

“Yes. Your jet is very comfortable and the staff _**very**_ accommodating. I believe the one named Maria is due for a raise in pay. Her hospitality is, to say the least, extraordinary.”

Cordoba chuckled. “I will see to it.” Snapping his fingers, another lovely young girl instantly appeared.

“Anita, my dear. My friend is in desperate need of refreshment. He has had an exhausting and, I venture to guess, exhilarating trip today.”

Anita quickly poured the man a generous drink, handing it over with a seductive and inviting smile the man more than welcomed.

Cordoba chuckled indulgently. “Ahhhhh… pace yourself, my friend. The pleasantries of paradise will still be there a bit later. For now, relax and enjoy your drink. It is the finest tequila money can buy. We have much to discuss.”

“You found it?”

“Yes.”

“You have it in your possession?”

“No, not yet. But we know who has it and are formulating a plan to retrieve it.”

“Of course you know who has it. I told you who had it weeks ago. What’s the hold up? She’s a neophyte. You and your men should have dealt with this then.”

“Don’t worry. It will be dealt with before you return to New York.”

“I know it will because I have no intention of leaving here until it’s done. That girl has the power to destroy everything we have built and she doesn’t even realize it. You know she has a brother here, don’t you? And not only is he also a cop, he’s Five-0.”

“This brother…. what is his name?”

“Detective Danny Williams. He, along with an ex-Navy SEAL by the name of Steve McGarrett, and two other seasoned officers make up Five-0, the Hawaii Governor’s elite task force. They are formidable. They are not to be underestimated.”

“Do not worry, my friend. This is not the first time my organization has had to deal with this sort of thing, as you well know. It will be dealt with, and soon.”

“Well then, in that case, let’s sit back and enjoy this wonderful view and magnificent tequila before I go and pay your lovely Anita an afternoon call. Don’t wait dinner for me. I anticipate a long evening.”

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

  
The crick in his neck told him he’d been leaning over the files for way too long. Sitting back in his chair, Danny arched his back and rolled his neck and shoulders trying to get the kinks out. The corresponding clicks and snaps as his joints realigned themselves sounded like gunshots in his quiet office. Rubbing his eyes, he momentarily considered a tenth cup of coffee but he was beginning to feel like the caffeine was dissolving his fillings.

He looked out into the bullpen where he could see Steve and Annie, huddled together, poring over something on the smart table. He smiled as he watched them, realizing Steve worked with Annie the same way he worked with him. It actually made sense. Danny and Annie were very much alike in the way they approached police work so it was logical that Steve gravitated to her as he did to Danny. But Annie was also fearless and reckless and the thought of what Steve and Annie could get themselves into made Danny shutter. The best he can do is what he always does, watch their collective backs more than ever.

He got up, gave his back one more satisfying stretch and headed out to see what they were up to. Chin and Kono had left hours ago under Steve’s strict orders to get some sleep. Reaching the table, Danny saw the many angles of surveillance video Chin had obtained before being ordered home.

“Anything new?” he asked as he approached the crouching duo.

“Yeah…” Annie replied. “We have a clear picture of what happened to Jiménez. Here he is, exiting HPD at noon yesterday.”

“Noon? Damn! It didn’t take them long to get him out, did it? And right under our noses too. That lawyer must have convinced the judge while Chin and Kono were still trying to break the guy.”

“Yeah, and almost immediately after they were done with him, he walked. Here you can see him leaving HPD and almost instantaneously being grabbed by these guys. And, before you ask, no. We do not have a clear shot of their faces for facial recognition but I think it’s safe to say they are Cordoba’s men. We do have a clear shot of the car and the license plate but running that only showed the car reported stolen that morning. HPD is canvassing but they haven’t located it yet.”

Steve inhaled deeply and ran his hand down his face. He was as exhausted as the rest of them.

“So we know Jiménez walked out of here at noon and was hauled away immediately. They took him somewhere and beat the shit out of him and tortured him and it looks like the only viable information they could get out of the punk was that he’d recognized you in the warehouse that morning and also placed you on that dock in New York.”

“That had to have happened really fast though,” Annie said, “because they already knew where I was staying, got there, trashed the place and were gone before we got there and we were there before three in the afternoon.”

“Max said he was held for several hours. They must have thought he knew more for them to keep at him like that,” Danny said. “I suppose when they didn’t get anything else that’s when they decided to take him on his little walk.”

“But why?” Steve asked. “They’d already gotten all they could out of him. Why not just kill him and dump the body somewhere? Why the elaborate death march just to put a bullet in his head anyway?”

“To send a message,” Annie replied. “If I know Cordoba, and I do, he had several of his “associates” accompany Jiménez as witnesses. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they even recorded it for the express purpose of showing anyone else who fails in their duties what is in store for them. Cordoba is merciless.”

“There’s something else I don’t understand,” Danny added. “You said you never told anyone about that flash drive you found. Never showed it to anyone, right?”

“Right.”

“So how does Cordoba know you have it? I mean, sure, Jiménez saw you on the dock in New York, then recognized you in the warehouse here. But how does that translate into you having the flash drive? You said you found it when you went back to search later. Jiménez wasn’t there then. So how did Cordoba make the leap from you just being there to you having the flash drive?”

“Danny’s right. Annie, are you sure you didn’t tell or show anyone that drive?”

“I’m positive. It never left my possession and I didn’t talk about it to anyone.”

Steve heaved a heavy sigh. “Ok... it’s almost midnight. We’re not going to get anywhere else with this tonight and if we don’t all get some sleep we’re not going to get anywhere at all. Let’s wrap this up and start off fresh in the morning.”

“That’s a good idea” Danny said “I’ll see you two in the morning. Coffee and malasadas for breakfast, right?”

“Sounds great bro! Night, Danny.” Annie said as she gave her brother a warm hug “We’ll figure this out, I know we will”.

“Just be careful,” he whispered in her ear then looked at Steve. “Have her back, babe!”

“As if she were you, Danno! Don’t worry.”

After closing down all the computers and locking up the office, they all headed out to their cars and what was hopefully going to be a good night’s sleep. Danny waved from his open window toward Steve’s truck as they each turned out of the lot and headed for home.

Under the cover of the banyan trees, in the adjacent parking lot of the Territorial Office Building, a car is hidden. The occupants watch as the three cops exit the Aliʻiōlani Hale and walk toward their cars. They have done their homework. The blond one is Williams, the woman, his sister. Interestingly, she’s going with McGarrett not with her brother. When she stumbles slightly over a low lying curb the SEAL reaches out a strong arm to steady her. She looks up at him and smiles warmly at him. He returns the smile as he steadies her with a strong arm around her waist.

There is what looks like a good natured, affectionate conversation between them as McGarrett makes an elaborate show of helping her into the truck. She laughs and playfully bats his arm away. McGarrett is also laughing as he circles the truck to get into the driver’s seat and pulls away.

It would seem the young officer has grown attached to the handsome SEAL and they are becoming quite fond of each other. This is a new development they must report to Cordoba. This is something they may be able to use.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi everyone. Happy Monday, if there is such a thing. My wonderful Beta Lynnette and I thought, since we made you wait an extra day for today's chapter, that we'd give you a little treat and post the next chapter also, instead of making you wait until tomorrow. Things will be heating up after this one. I hope you're all still enjoying the ride.

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

The slowly turning ceiling fan is doing very little to cut the humidity in the room. There are steady beads of sweat working their way down from her hairline, her neck and onto her chest. It’s impossible to get comfortable.

_“Williams…… Lombardi…. grab your gear.”_

_“Captain?”_

_“You heard me. Report to Task Force 3. We need all hands on deck for this one.”_

_“What’s this about? We’re on desk assignment for this investigation.”_

_“Damned if I know, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. We finally get to see some action.”_

_“But there are still at least five files we haven’t even looked at yet. Doesn’t this seem a bit premature to you?”_

_“Yeah, maybe, I don’t know. But, aren’t you tired of just pushing papers and reading reports? I know I am.”_

_“Damn right I am! Let’s do this!”_

 

The ocean is louder now. She hears it but not enough to register and wake her. Her head thrashes from side to side… seeking out a cool spot on the pillow.

 

_“Task Force 1…. take the perimeter. #2…. I want full coverage on all the windows and doors. #3… you’re with me.”_

_“Damn…. talk about moving up in the world, eh partner? Rifling through endless files in the morning, mobilizing for the fight in the afternoon.”_

_“Be careful Tony. You’ve worked those files as much as I have. These guys mean business.”_

_“Don’t worry Annie. We’re ready for this.”_

 

As the low pressure weather system slowly makes its way across the islands, a soft breeze begins to build over the beach. The wispy curtains of the room begin to dance on the air along with the sounds of rapid fire automatic weapons. She cringes at the sound.

 

_“Stay down! Do you hear me? I’m coming!”_

_“No… I’m all right. Wasn’t even close. Stay there... watch your own six... I’m fine.”_

_The task force is spread out …. too spread out. They are taking fire from all directions. This was meticulously and thoroughly planned out and coordinated, why is it so haphazard? Something isn’t right here._

_“Tony…. I think I see an opening… cover me.”_

_“ANNIE.... WATCH OUT!!!!”_

_There it is… just like always… the gun shot. Like cannon fire, she hears it. But this time, it doesn’t wake her, doesn’t jolt her out of sleep with its cold finality. This time she actually feels it. Feels it whizzing past her as she’s forcibly knocked to the floor. She can’t move. Something is holding her down, trapping her legs. She manages to pull herself free enough to turn over onto her back. She sees him coming._

_No name comes to mind, just another mindless, faceless asshole but this one is bearing down on her as she’s trapped under the dead weight of her partner. Rapidly gathering her wits about her, she pulls her gun from beneath Tony’s body, aims and shoots. The look of surprise would almost be comical if the situation weren’t so terrifying. Three shots center mass and the man is dead._

_“TONY?? TONY!!! Come on man...don’t do this. Wake up…. WAKE UP!!!”_

_Eyelids flutter, a hand reaches out and grabs her wrist. He’s awake but she knows he’s really not. The moments he has left dripping out of him as each drop of blood continues to coat the floor. She positions herself so his head is in her lap. She brushes his wavy brown hair off his face, tries to make him comfortable. Somewhere in the distance she can hear the wail of sirens but she knows they won’t make it in time._

_“Annie…. I’m sorry." He looked up at her, his soft brown eyes full of sadness._

_“What the hell are you sorry for??? You idiot! You just saved my life.”_

_“A life worth saving.”_

_“Don’t do this. Please Tony, don’t do this.... you hang on… do you hear me? You hang on….”_

_“Annie…. I need you to do something for me…..”_

 

Somewhere in the night a bird calls. Like the breeze and the ocean before it, the sound is not enough to wake her, to rescue her from reliving this nightmare again. But it seems just enough to propel her further into the memory…. to a place her dreams had never allowed her to visit before.

 

_“Williams…. why are you still here? You should have gone home hours ago. That report can wait until tomorrow.”_

_“Yes, Captain. I’m on my way, sir.”_

_The squad room is empty in the midst of dozens of people. She doesn’t see them… she doesn’t hear them. All she can see and hear is Tony. She feels nothing. No…. that’s not true. She feels the flash drive in her hand. She turns it over in her fingers, watches as the light catches off the black plastic. She wonders what’s on it. It was in that office. The one Cordoba may have used. She should report her discovery. She should turn it over to the lead investigators. She should do a lot of things with it. Yet, she doesn’t. She holds it up and studies it as if it will reveal its secrets by pure power of will. She makes her decision… she will not turn this over. Something was off during that firefight. All the planning, all the intel, it should not have gone down like that. No… this she would keep to herself until she was sure of what she was dealing with._

_She opened her desk drawer and took out a small manila envelope. She dropped the flash drive into it, sealed it, folded it and placed it in her pocket. Home and safe keeping… that’s where it would go for the time being. She slowly heaved herself out of her chair, more tired than she’d ever been in her life and turned to head out._

_She didn’t realize he was there until she’d turned. Alex Sanchez. She knew him. Her first year at NYPD had been his last. He was tall, good looking, friendly, easy to like._

_He gave her a sympathetic smile as she approached him._

_“I heard,” he said as he gave her a quick hug._

_“I’m sure everyone has by now.”_

_“Is there anything I can do?”_

_“Don’t let the bastards walk!”_

_“I’ll do my best, Annie. You should go home and get some rest.”_

_“On my way as we speak. Good night.”_

_As she moved past him to leave she didn’t notice the slow metamorphosis of his warm, caring smile into a calculated sneer. “One down,” he thought._

 

A sudden flash of lightning cracked and danced across the bed and Annie was instantly awake.

“Steve! Oh my God…. STEVE!!”

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for him to come barreling into her room, gun in hand, ready to take out whatever potential danger had caused Annie to cry out to him. He was shocked to see the state she was in when he entered the room.

“Annie... what happened? Are you alright? You’re shaking like a leaf. Was it the nightmare again?”

Annie wiped her brow and tried to bring her breathing under control.

“Steve…. I remember.”

“What? What do you remember?”

“It _**was**_ the nightmare but it was different this time. Every time I’ve had it before the gunshot that killed Tony woke me up. But this time, it didn’t, it went further. Remember when you asked me if I’d told anyone about the flash drive?”

“Yes.... you said you didn’t tell a soul.”

“I didn’t… but someone saw me with it.”

“What? Are you sure?

“Yes… I had the flash drive in my hand, while I was at my desk after… well.... after everything. I was trying to decide what to do, whether I should hand it over to the investigation. I decided not to, of course, and put it away to take home. When I stood up to leave, Alex Sanchez was standing across the room. He gave no indication that he’d seen it. He was kind and sympathetic over what had happened to Tony. It didn’t register until just now. I don’t know how long he was standing there. He was watching me. He saw that flash drive! I’m sure of it!”

“Who’s Alex Sanchez?”

“He’s the Assistant District Attorney. He used to be a cop, that’s how I first met him. He and Tony grew up in the same neighborhood. To please his parents, he’d graduated from NYU with a law degree but he wanted to be a cop. He worked his way up to Lieutenant but after a few years decided he wanted more after all. So he put his law degree to use and joined the DA’s office.”

Running his hand down his face, Steve checked his watch. “Alright. It’s a safe bet we’re not getting any more sleep tonight. It’ll be light in a little over an hour or so. I might as well grab a quick swim. Why don’t you get yourself some breakfast? I won’t be too long. Then let’s get to the office and see what we can find out about this Alex Sanchez and how he’s possibly connected to all this, if he even is.”

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

He felt their presence even before he heard the almost indiscernible sound. Slowly opening his eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see the man sitting in the chair across from his bed nor by the two goons with guns standing at the man’s sides.

“Good morning,” Danny said as he sleepily stretched out his muscles, trying to show more calm than he was feeling. “To what do I owe this displeasure? The goon club out of coffee this morning?”

“You are most humorous, Mr. Williams.”

“Detective Williams... if you don’t mind.”

“My apologies…. detective. Now, if you would be so kind as to get up and dress yourself. You have an important appointment this fine morning and it would be most rude on your part to be late.”

“Oh well, never let it be said that I am in anyway rude but you see, I have no intention of going anywhere with you. How the hell did you get in here anyway? What do you want?”

Danny tried his best to sound authoritative, calm and collected but in truth he was scared as hell. His eyes moved almost imperceptibly to his bedside table where his cell phone and gun lay, just out of reach. He could try for the gun but he doubted the two goons would be too happy about that. How was this his life? Facing down these guys in his own bedroom with nothing on but boxer shorts wasn’t his idea of the best way to start his day. He just thanked God Grace was at Rachel’s.

“Detective, please do not do anything foolish. I can see your natural instinct is to try to stop this. I can promise you, the outcome would not be to your liking. Now, I will not ask again… get up…. now! And, please do keep quiet about it. It would be most unfortunate if your neighbors were to hear any sort of disturbance from this house and find it necessary to call the police. You will walk out quietly with no fuss. I am confident you understand the seriousness of the situation. Be uncooperative and your little girl won’t be happy to find us in her bedroom next!”

The threat was very productive. A cold chill ran down Danny’s back as, at the same time, a burning rage built in his stomach. These guys knew he had a daughter and more than likely knew exactly where she lived. Danny had no choice but to do as they said. Anything to protect Grace.

“And just where are we going?” he asked as he pulled himself from the bed and began to gather his clothes.

“All in good time, detective… all in good time.”

It didn’t take Danny more than a few minutes to get himself dressed but that didn’t stop him from trying to stall.

“I suppose a few extra minutes to brush my teeth and get my hair in order would be out of the question? You do realize anyone seeing us leave who knows me will see my hair in this state and know something is wrong. You willing to take that risk?”

The goons with the guns took a threatening step forward. “Ok… Ok…. It’s out of the question. I get it.”

Too soon, Danny found himself being escorted to a waiting van. He glanced up and down the street and toward the front lawns of his closest neighbors hoping to catch someone’s eye but unfortunately it was way too early for anyone to be out and about. Where was Mrs. Kapiaoni and her yapping puppy when he needed them?

Danny followed Goon #1 into the van and settled onto the bench seat. He turned back to watch Goon #2 follow behind him. “Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here? Just where...…..”

He barely had a second to register the severity of the pain from the needle jammed into the back of his neck before the blackness began to overtake him. His last conscious thoughts were of Grace...... thank God he’d kept her safe.... and how the hell was the team ever going to find him?


	10. Chapter 10

“Huh... that’s odd,” Steve said as he tried for the third time to reach Danny.

“What’s odd?” Annie asked as she followed him out to his truck.

“First Danny doesn’t show up for coffee this morning and now he’s not picking up his phone. But it’s not rolling right to voicemail either. It’s ringing its full number of rings before rolling over, which means he’s either ignoring it or….”

“Or…. he’s not answering because he can’t hear it.” Steve didn’t miss the worry in Annie’s voice and he was sure he didn’t sound much better.

Reaching out and dialing again, Steve called Chin.

“Hey brah! You on your way in? How about grabbing some Starbucks! I could go for some of the good stuff this morning,” Chin cheerfully answered without even a “hello.”

“Chin… I need you to track Danny’s phone _**and**_ the Camaro.”

Chin flew to the magic table, fingers dancing immediately on the smooth surface.

“What’s going on, Boss?” Kono asked as she came out of her office and heard the conversation on the phone’s speaker.

“I don’t know. Danny didn’t stop by the house this morning. I didn’t think too much of it at first but now we can’t reach him.”

“Rolling to voicemail?”

“Not immediately.”

Chin and Kono exchanged worried looks as Kono also jumped on the computer to help Chin track Danny.

“Steve? Where are you now?” Chin asked

“On my way to Danny’s. You find something?”

“Yeah. Tracking shows both the Camaro and Danny’s phone are at his house.”

Annie automatically tightened her grip on the car door handle as Steve’s foot floored the gas. Something was definitely wrong.

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

His head hurt. His back hurt. His arms hurt. The back of his neck and shoulder were screaming in pain. It was the pain that forced his eyes open and for a moment he was grateful for the gloom of his surroundings. He didn’t think his eyes would survive any bright light at the moment.

So, of course, this being Danny’s life and the Hawaiian gods surely hated him, bright light is exactly what hits him in the face not a second later. Pure agony pulses through his head and he immediately squeezes his eyes shut as hard as he can. But it’s no use. The light is so bright it infiltrates right through his eyelids and proceeds to pound nails into his brain.

A voice from beyond the light spoke.

“How nice of you to finally join us Mr. … oh pardon me…. Detective Williams.”

“Yeah, well…. your goons didn’t give me much of a choice in the matter, did they?”

“I see my men were speaking the truth. You are not one to go down easily, are you?”

“What do you say, we don’t play this game? Why don’t you just tell me what you want and let’s get this over with.”

“Very well, if you insist.”

“Do I at least get to see who I’m dealing with here? I mean, it would be nice to see the face of the man TSA has only been able to capture on film once. Emilio Cordoba, I presume?”

Thankfully, the bright overhead light in Danny’s face was extinguished leaving only ambient light emanating from the other side of the room. The pain in his head notched down ever so slightly from intolerable to simply excruciating.

“Ahhhhhh…. very good.”

“What? You expected it to be hard to figure out?”

Danny knew he was antagonizing Cordoba by implying the man wasn’t bright enough to realize Danny himself wasn’t stupid.

“Now…. why am I here?”

“Have you ever gone fishing Detective? Coming from the big city I would presume not. Of course, I hear the deep sea fishing here in Hawaii is quite challenging, perhaps you have given that a try since you moved here? Experienced fisherman or not, I’m sure you are well aware there are different kinds of bait which attract different kinds of fish. You are here because you are the best bait available to me to attract a rather bothersome fish.”

Danny felt the combination of anger and fear curl in his stomach. They were after Annie and there was nothing Danny could do… no way for him to warn her and Steve. Because he knew, better than he knew his own name, that Steve was already on the hunt to find him. He didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious but it didn’t matter. The moment Danny was five minutes late for morning coffee, Steve would be on the phone to call and rib him for being late. Wouldn’t do much good, of course, since Danny presumed his phone was still laying on his bedside table. Danny was sure Steve already had Chin tracking his phone and car and they knew both were sitting at his house. He was torn between fear for himself… the team didn’t know where he was, and fear for Steve and Annie… they were being set up to walk right into a trap.

Cordoba watched the play of emotions across Danny’s face. He smiled wickedly as he motioned for his goons to come closer. Danny watched them advance on him knowing nothing good could come from this. The biggest of the goons stepped in front of him and with a grin that made Danny’s stomach churn, reached back and punched him right across the face. The chair Danny was tied to rocked backwards from the severity of the blow. Not only did his head violently whip around, his vision went totally white and the pain in his head ratcheted up to “just kill me now” levels. He had no time to recover before a second and third blow followed the first. Danny could feel blood running down his face and his head was buzzing with painful static.

Fighting to catch his breath and attempting to get his vision to focus, Danny looked up at Cordoba.

“What do you want?” he stammered. He hated that his voice sounded so weak and pained, hated giving Cordoba that victory.

“I want nothing from you, Detective,” came the chilling reply. “I only wish for you to play your part convincingly. You are my bait, remember? Blood is an excellent choice to chum the waters, no?”

Danny had no time to even attempt to process what he heard. In one fell swoop, the zip ties on his wrists were cut as both goons descended on him. They hauled him to his feet and dragged him backwards toward the wall where his arms were lifted above his head and his wrists locked in a set of handcuffs threaded through an iron loop set into the concrete wall.

Danny watched as Cordoba reached into the inner pocket of his impeccably tailored jacket and pulled out a cell phone. He made an elaborate show of fiddling with the phone, trying to decide if portrait or landscape would be the better choice as he flicked on the camera app. Having made his decision, he nodded to his goons to continue.

Before Danny had time to brace himself both proceeded to viciously attack not only his head and face but his midsection as well. Danny tried to curl in on himself in an attempt to protect his solar plexus but with his arms locked above his head it was no use. They had planned this very well. He tried to tense his abdominal muscles in an attempt to cushion the blows but after several long minutes his strength was gone and he could taste the telltale sign of blood in his mouth. Several more blows to the head and Danny welcomed the sweet nothingness of unconsciousness.

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

Steve and Annie arrived at Danny’s house and found just what Steve feared they would find. Nothing. Danny’s bed was slept in, his toothbrush was dry and there was no dirty coffee cup in the sink. Worst of all, his phone, keys, badge and gun were all still on his nightstand. All the unmistakable signs that Danny had not left his home voluntarily. Having called in CSI to go over the place with a fine toothed comb, they left and headed back to HQ. When they walked in twenty minutes later, Chin and Kono were already sorting through information CSI had been feeding back from the scene.

“Chin! Did we get something?” Steve asked

“CSI just sent over their preliminary report. Looks like they cut the main power to the house from the outside and gained entry through the back door. There are no signs of struggle, no disruption in the house except for the cut pane of glass on the door and no blood.”

Steve looked at Annie as they both sighed with a small amount of relief at that news. No blood was always good. It was short lived, of course, as Kono continued the brief.

“There is evidence of a truck or van being at the scene. CSI sent over photos of tire tracks found in the grass along the side of Danny’s driveway.”

“Those tracks could be from Steve’s truck and been there from before.” Annie observed.

“That’s true but I highly doubt it.” Chin answered. “I’m doing a preliminary search based on the pictures CSI sent in and they are getting plaster casts made so we can try to determine how long those tracks have been there and what type of vehicle they came from. We’ve had a lot of rain recently so it’s probable they are new. Older ones would have been washed down by now by the rain.”

“Ok… so we know someone broke into Danny’ house….” Steve began but Annie interrupted.

“Not someone, Steve. Cordoba! I’m sure of it. It has his fingerprints all over it. He likes to think of himself as sophisticated. Doesn’t like to be associated with a reputation as a thug. Send in a few well trained and trusted men, a quiet break in with minimum fuss, no disorder, no bloodshed. Simply make your victim an offer they can’t refuse and they will willingly go with you without putting up a fuss.”

“Danny, not put up a fuss? You of all people know how unlikely that is,” Steve replied.

“Normally I would totally agree with you but this is Cordoba we’re talking about. He does his homework. I wouldn’t put it past him for one minute to have a full jacket of personal information at his fingertips. Like I said, it’s his way. He will use threats against those in a person’s life in order to guarantee cooperation.”

At those words Steve threw Chin a look which clutched at the older man’s heart. Grace! Cordoba had threatened Grace. Protecting Grace would be the only thing that would have gotten Danny voluntarily out of that house. Chin immediately jumped on his phone to order a protective detail be placed around the Edwards home.

Just then a uniformed police officer came through the bullpen doors. “Commander McGarrett? This package just arrived for you, sir.”

“Thank you” Steve said as he ripped open the large heavy envelope. Inside he found a cell phone. “Who delivered this Okuda, do you know?”

“No sir, it was left in the mail room. It didn’t come in with the normal mail and it wasn’t brought by any of the usual delivery services. The bomb squad has cleared it as safe.”

“Mahalo for bringing it up here” Steve said, excusing Okuda to return to his duties. Steve handed the phone to Chin who turned it over in his hands examining it.

“Looks like a burner.” he said as he placed it on the smart table. “Yes… it’s a burner. Kono, pull the call history and let’s see what we can find.”

Kono’s fingers flew across the surface of the table. It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for.

“No call history, nothing on it but a video file.”

Fear clutching her heart, it was Annie who gave the order “Play it”.

Kono looked to Steve who gave a small nod as she began the playback.

“Oh dear God…. Danny!” Annie gasped. She looked over to Steve who stood, eyes riveted to the screen, his jaw clenched so tightly Annie was sure he was going to do his teeth permanent damage.

The video showed Danny, against the wall, his hands locked in the handcuffs, as two large masked goons proceeded to pummel the hell out of him as they all watched. The sound of each punch seemed to reverberate around the room. Chin visibly winced as each blow landed. Several to Danny’s midsection were so loud Chin was certain ribs were being broken. Kono and Annie gasped and tried to control any tears threatening to fall.

Danny did his best not to make a sound, not to give them any victory over him but he couldn’t help the moans and groans as the pain escalated. He tried to protect himself but it was no use, the attack was relentless. Steve stood rigid, a small twitch at the corner of his eye the only indication the video was affecting him until Annie glanced down at his hands, clutched into fists so tight and powerful all his knuckles had turned pure white.

Finally, the beating stopped and the goons moved to position themselves on either side of Danny’s limp body. They supported his weight by placing their hands under each of his arms. Danny’s head limply hung down onto his chest causing one of the men to reach up and lift his face to the camera. He was almost unrecognizable. Both eyes were swollen almost completely shut and blood was pouring from both his severely split lower lip as well as several cuts along his hairline. His normally bright blond hair a dirty, matted mess.

There must have been some sort of signal, unheard on the recording, which instructed the men to move away. Suddenly, they unceremoniously let go of Danny whose uncooperative knees gave out causing him to hang painfully from his bound wrists. A final involuntary moan escaped his lips, the only sound remaining. They all stared at the screen, each lost in their own emotionally turbulent thoughts when, just as it had started, the video suddenly, abruptly, ended.


	11. Chapter 11

“That can’t be all there is.” Kono said, almost to herself as, like Chin’s before, her fingers began to dance across the table. Steve and Annie were frozen in place. Each lost in their own thoughts. Annie’s mind was reeling… she had caused this. She came here, brought Cordoba to their door and now she was going to lose another brother. Steve was frozen in rage. There was no way in hell Danny was staying in that hell hole a millisecond longer if he had to tear the entire island apart to find him. He would not lose Danny, not like this. There was no way he was going to Grace and tell her Danno was gone.

He looked at Annie, saw the fear and personal reproach written all over her face. “We’ll find him, Annie. You have my word on that!” He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle yet strong squeeze.

“Ahhh!” Kono said. “Yes we will. There’s another file embedded in the memory. One set of GPS coordinates.”

“Where, Kono?” Steve demanded.

“1092 Makepono Street…. Sand Island. Looks like a small industrial warehouse. Vacant. Approximately 6,000 square feet. Located on a corner property. There is street access from both Sand Island Parkway and Makepono Street.”

“All right. Annie, Chin and I will check it out.”

At Kono’s startled look, Steve said “I know, Kono, but I need you to stay behind. Call HPD to back us up. But I need you to run a background check. I need everything you can find on a man named Alex Sanchez, Assistant District Attorney, New York County. And get a hold of Toast. Tell him I need a mock up copy of that flash drive. I have a feeling we’re going to need some kind of leverage pretty damn soon and the original drive is not an option.”

“Got it boss,” Kono replied as she reached into her back pocket to pull out her phone and call HPD backup for the warehouse.

The others quickly made their way over to the gun cabinet and began to get their gear together. Annie heaved a worried sigh as she strapped on her Tac vest, a sound Steve did not miss. Placing his hand over her shaking ones he tried to reassure her the best he could.

“We’ll get him back, Annie. Don’t worry. He’s tough... he’ll hold on until we can get there.”

“He’s my brother Steve, and I brought this down on him. I can’t lose him. After Matt….” she trailed off.

“We will _**not**_ lose him Annie. I swear to you; we will not lose him. Don’t forget, he’s my brother, too.”

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

Steve quickly scanned the warehouse as well as the yard in front. The one story structure looked like an abandoned work shop or garage with a yard full of junk and old rusted cars and trucks. They know from the info Kono was able to find on the place, that there are exits on both side streets as well as the front. Steve quickly laid out the game plan he’d been working on in his head since they left HQ.

“Chin…. Annie and I will check it out from the back entrance to the left. It’s the least accessible so hopefully the least guarded. HPD is on the way and should be here any minute. Take as many men as you need and enter from the side entrance on the right. Have the remaining men keep a watch on the front.”

“Steve… HPD is a minute out… we should wait. We have no idea what you’re going to find in there. Just one more minute… please.”

“Chin…. my brother could be dying in there,” Annie chimed in. “I want that minute. I’m not willing to waste it standing out here waiting for HPD.”

The look Steve gave Chin implicitly said, “She’s one of me and I totally approve”. Chin just shook his head sagely.

“You _**know**_ Danny would not approve of this. When you find him he’s going to rip you both a new one, I guarantee it.”

Steve smiled at Chin’s use of the word “when” and clapped him on the shoulder. “I look forward to that, Chin.”

“Ok… I’ll be right behind you. Just, please, be careful.”

Steve and Annie quickly made their way to the back of the building and to the door they knew they’d find there. As expected, they found the door locked but the old, abandoned building was in such a state of disrepair the lock was extremely easy to break. They shared an uneasy glance at the ease with which they were able to gain entry, but neither was willing to waste time worrying about it right now. They needed to get to Danny.

Once inside Steve gave Annie the signal to flank to the right while he searched to the left. Each proceeded with extreme care, not wanting to make any sounds that could alert anyone else in the building. The inside wasn’t very large but there were several interconnected rooms. It was like a rat’s nest, overcrowded with boxes, crates and all sorts of assorted junk making it difficult to not only search but to do so without making any noise. They needed that back up, now. Steve checked his watch and knew HPD was probably outside this very second and Chin would be joining the search at any moment.

Suddenly, he heard a muffled sound, then a shallow thump, from the other side of the wall where he’d sent Annie to search. Instantly wary, he carefully, gun held high, rounded the corner to look into the room. Then he saw her. Annie was laid out, unconscious on the floor. Quickly checking to see if the surroundings were clear Steve ran to Annie’s side. Before he could do more than press his fingers to her neck and reassure himself that she was alive, he heard it. Too many missions in too many countries he wasn’t supposed to admit to knowing about, made the sound all too familiar. A dart gun. Steve had no time to react before the dart pierced the side of his neck. As he fell over near where Annie lay, as his eyes began to tunnel and darkness encroached, he had one last thought. “I’m sorry, Danny.”

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

“All right men, I need you four to head out back… back up McGarrett and Officer Williams. You four are with me,” Chin instructed, as he and HPD fanned out to join the search for Danny. It didn’t take long for Chin to realize something was definitely wrong.

The building was deathly silent when they entered. Holes in the ceiling were allowing streams of sunlight into the space, dust particles suspended in the beams of light. The only sounds the skittering of mice around the perimeter and the muffled footfalls of HPD conducting their search. Chin was getting a very bad feeling about this.

He dared not call out to Steve or Annie, and the com links in the ear buds they were wearing were ominously silent. Methodically checking room by room, Chin came upon the last one in the hall. There was nothing there. Cautiously advancing into the room, Chin could see where the dust on the floor had been disturbed. Not only disturbed but there were definite signs that a body… no make that more than one body… had been laying on the floor and had been moved. When he advanced even further into the room, his heart nearly stopped. There, in the center of the floor were two ear buds. Steve and Annie were gone. Checking his watch, he was stunned to see it had only been five minutes since they all exited Steve’s truck.

 

~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

Kono entered the basement office. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she shook her head at the disarray that was just about everywhere. Pizza boxes and soda cups, bubble gum and candy wrappers, all over the floor… it looked like a frat house. On the table across the small space, she could see the backs of several computer monitors sitting among the debris. The telltale sounds of keystroke tapping the only thing she could hear. Rounding the table, she finally saw Toast, head down, brow furrowed in concentration, his fingers a blur on the keyboard. Not wanting to startle him, Kono gently cleared her throat. Toast, being Toast, literally leaped out of his skin anyway.

Kono delicately winced. “Sorry...”

“No… no, it’s fine, really. Just… being in the bowels of Five-0 is a bit nerve racking, ya know? Don’t tell me. Tall, dark and constipated wants an update, right?”

“No, actually, I do!” Kono said impatiently. As much as she usually enjoyed Toast and his unique personality, she really didn’t have time for this today.

Toast gave a convulsive swallow. “Ok… the good news is I’m pretty sure this last reconfiguration of my program will finally crack the encryption on this thing.”

“Finally! It’s been two days, Toast. I always expect you to be a lot quicker than this.”

“Even I can’t crack everything the first time around. I know it’s been a couple of days,” he said a bit defensively, “I’m doing the best I can.”

Kono looked around the room again. She noticed the recliner Steve had ordered brought in for Toast, covered in rumpled blankets. She again took notice of all the pizza boxes. Taking a hard look at Toast himself she realized that although he may have used the recliner, he hadn’t gotten much sleep. There were deep, dark smudges beneath his overly tired eyes. It was obvious Toast hadn’t left this room in days.

“I’m really sorry, Toast. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I know you’re doing your very best. It’s just… Cordoba took Danny. We’re running out of time.”

Toast sat up straighter in his chair. Kono saw his eyes instantly become more alert and his jaw tighten. Toast was very fond of Danny. Kono knew what Danny had done to get him out of some hot water when they had first met.

Almost to himself Toast whispered, “He has Jersey…”. Then with his shoulders set in a new resolve, he looked Kono right in the eye.

“What else can I do? Name it.”

Kono smiled a sweet smile at him and patted his shoulder. “First off, we need you to mock up a copy of that flash drive. Steve thinks Cordoba is going to demand the return of that drive and, obviously, the original is out of play.” At Toast’s raised eyebrow she continued. “Yes, I know, it won’t take him long to realize it’s a fake but it may buy us enough time to get Danny out of there.”

Toast nodded. “What else?”

“How soon will you know if your new program worked?”

“It’s running now. We should have something within the hour.”

“Good. Call me the instant you have anything. And get to work on that copy.”

“Will do!”

Kono turned and headed for the door. Just as she reached out for the handle she heard Toast.

“Ah, ha! Gotcha!”

Kono spun on her heels and rushed back to his side.

“What have we got?”

“Looks like Jersey’s sister was right. There’s a ton of stuff on here. Bank records, interoffice communications, agendas and itineraries, damn, all kinds of stuff. Tell you what. I’ll download all of this onto Five-0’s secure internal server. It’s more secure and better encrypted then anything. Then we can use this flash drive as your decoy. I can leave a footprint of every file on the drive so it looks untouched. The footprint will make it look like all the files are intact but, in fact, they will all be corrupted and impossible to open. Anyone doing a quick look at the contents list will see all the files and possibly just move on without actually trying to open anything. They wouldn’t know there was a problem until they actually tried. It’s a long shot but it may just buy you some time.”

“Toast, that’s brilliant. Someone in a crisis situation may not take the time to open every file, they would just look to see if the files were there. That could give us the edge we need to get to Danny and get him out of there,” Kono said, as she reached into her back pocket to retrieve her ringing cell phone.

Looking down and seeing Chin’s face on her screen, she began talking before Chin had the chance to say a word.

“Chin… great news. Toast’s cracked the flash drive and he…. _**What?**_ How? You mean you let them go in there alone? Yes… yes… I know… two of a kind. Right, I’ll be ready when you get here.”

“What’s going on?”

“Steve and Annie went into the warehouse alone to look for Danny.” At Toast’s raised eyebrows she nodded and continued. “Yes, I know, but neither one of them was willing to wait for HPD and leave Danny in there a second longer.”

“Don’t tell me? He wasn’t in there, was he?”

“No, he wasn’t,” Kono answered sadly “And by the time Chin and HPD went in, only a couple of minutes later, Steve and Annie weren’t in there either.”

“What do we do now?”

“I’m headed up to the bullpen to meet up with Chin. You need to download all the information from that hard drive on to our servers now. I expect to have it all at my fingertips by the time I make it up there so you have about 5 minutes. When you’re done, bring that flash drive up to me. Hurry Toast, we’re running out of time.”


	12. Chapter 12

_“Williams…… Lombardi…. grab your gear!”_

_“What the hell is the matter with you?...... Colombian drug dealers? Are you out of your mind?”_

_“Stop it, Danny.”_

_“ANNIE…. WATCH OUT!!!!”_

_“You’re a good cop, Annie, anyone can see that.”_

_“Have I told you how wonderful it is to have you here?_

_“TONY?? TONY!!! Come on man...don’t do this. Wake up…. WAKE UP!!!”_

 

Wake up? That would be a great idea if not for the muddled and scattered visions keeping her buried under their weight. Jumping from one memory to the other like one of those flipbooks they used to have as kids. But these pictures weren’t coming together to make a logical moving picture. She struggled to concentrate on the only one she seemed to be able to grab onto and hold.

 

_“WAKE UP!!!” ...... “WAKE UP!!!”_

_Sitting on the cold hard floor, she watched as the last seconds of Tony’s life dripped away between her fingers. The haze of her tears was making it hard to see. His kind face, his easy smile, the blond hair now covered in blood. His pale blue eyes losing the light that always made them sparkle. Wait…... what? Blond? Blue eyes? No… that’s not right. Annie forced her tear-filled eyes to focus, to look down at the dying man in her arms. Her heart almost stuttered to a complete stop. Danny? No… No… No…. that is **not** right. What’s going on?? What’s happening?_

_“Annie…. I need you to do something for me...” Danny weakly begged as his life was ending._

 

“NO!!!!” Annie struggled to consciousness. “Noooooo….” she weakly sobbed, as she finally managed to peel her eyes open.

The feeling of a mouth full of cotton along with the awful taste told Annie she’d been drugged. It took a few seconds for recall to kick in before she remembered entering the small warehouse with Steve to look for Danny. Steve? Oh God… where was Steve?

She did her best to pull herself out of the drugged stupor. Giving herself a few moments to try to get her head to clear, she attempted to assess her surroundings. It didn’t take her too long to realize this was not the same warehouse she and Steve had entered …. when was that, exactly? This one was much bigger, judging by the height of the ceiling. The room was cold and damp, so probably on a lower level of the building.

She wasn’t surprised to find herself restrained, tied to an old wooden chair in what she assumed was the center of the floor. She turned her head as much as she could to try to see the rest of the room but abruptly stopped when a sharp pain pierced the side of her neck and shoulder. Her sudden and sharp gasp drew the attention of the men she didn’t even know were there, lurking just past the edge of her peripheral vision.

“Well, how nice of you to finally join us, Officer Williams,” the smooth voice began. Moving slowly into her line of sight, he continued. “You have been a most bothersome young woman to me. It is my pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Cordoba,” Annie seethed, “you son-of-a-bitch!”

“Now, is that nice? I go to all the trouble to arrange this little get together and the first thing out of your mouth is an insult? I’d mind my manners if I were you, my dear.”

“I am _**not**_ “your dear.” I am the person who wants nothing more than to put a bullet in your head!” Annie spat as she struggled against the ropes holding her wrists to the arms of the chair.

Cordoba just chuckled, then slowly walked forward. His smile never wavered as he raised a hand and slapped Annie across the face. She thought she heard a muffled growl from somewhere behind her as his hand made contact with her cheek which was now stinging. But the slap hadn’t been hard enough to do any real damage, more like a parent reprimanding a recalcitrant child. “You are in no position to make threats. You are in no position to do anything at all except to listen and watch. But, now that I think of it, you’re not _**in**_ a position to watch, are you? Gentlemen, if you please…”  
  
Annie tensed as two men, the same two she suspected had been the ones beating on Danny, advanced on her. Since she was bracing herself for an attack, she was surprised when the two men did nothing more than lift her and turn the chair to face in the opposite direction. She gasped at the sight that greeted her eyes.

Danny was still unconscious, hanging from his wrists against the wall. Blood had pooled around his haphazardly sprawled feet having tracked down from not only the many cuts and lacerations on his head and face but also from his wrists where his dead weight was causing the handcuffs to dig mercilessly into his skin. The front of his shirt had been ripped open and Annie could see the havoc many blows to his torso had caused. His overall complexion had a gray pallor which was frankly scaring the shit out of her.

Next to him was Steve. He was shirtless and, like Danny, also handcuffed to the wall but Cordoba, knowing Steve by reputation, wasn’t going to give him any opportunity to use his legs to his advantage, so Steve’s feet had been tightly strapped into a pair of work boots, not unlike those Steve normally wore. Except these had been cemented into the floor. There was no way he’d be able to use his legs to try to defend himself. And, where Danny was unresponsive, Steve was wide awake. The duct tape over his mouth preventing him from speaking, yet his eyes, singularly focused on Cordoba, were blazing with such fierce determination and fury Annie was surprised the building hadn’t spontaneously combusted by now.

Annie closed her eyes, trying to ground herself. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and she could feel she was breathing much too fast. So it had come to this. Convinced this was not the same warehouse as before, she knew Chin and Kono had no idea where they were. Danny looked to be close to death and she knew Steve would die before giving up without one hell of a fight. A fight that would probably kill him too. They were all going to die here.

She looked from Danny to Steve, the pain of that realization written all over her face. “I’m sorry,” was all she could bring herself to softly say as she looked Steve in the eye. He looked back at her, his gaze intense. Although the duct tape was preventing him from speaking, she could read all he wanted to say in his overly expressive eyes. “It’s not over yet.” “It will be alright.” “This is not your fault.” Oh, how she wished she could believe him.

Cordoba read the play of emotions across her face and chuckled softly. Bending down to speak softly into her ear, he said, “Ahhhhhh, the silent communication between lovers is most heartwarming.”

Even speaking so softly, Steve still heard him, which was Cordoba’s intention. The confusion on Annie’s face was missed as he concentrated on Steve, who kept his face stone still, not willing to give Cordoba anything he could use against them. Unlike Annie, who was utterly confused by Cordoba’s words, Steve saw them as a sign of weakness. He wasn’t as in control as he thought he was if his flow of information was so inaccurate. Maybe this was something he could use even if, at the moment, he couldn’t think how.

“I suppose you are wondering why I went to all the trouble of arranging this little get together?

When Annie made no move to answer him, he continued.

“No? Your lack of curiosity is most surprising.” He chuckled again, amused with himself. “You see, _**my dear**_ , you took something that belongs to me and, silly me for being so selfish, but I want it back. But, of course, you know that already, don’t you?”

Annie looked to Steve, who silently communicated, “Don’t say a thing.”

Cordoba continued. “Nothing to say? I see you’re going to need some persuasion. Tell me where the flash drive you stole from me is or watch these two suffer for your silence.”

Annie flashed alarmed eyes at Danny and then at Steve who was literally vibrating with rage. “Don’t tell him anything,” still plainly visible in his eyes.

Seeing the silent communication between them, Cordoba advanced on Steve and reaching out, violently ripped the duct tape from his mouth. Even though it hurt like hell, Steve didn’t even flinch.

“We won’t be needing this any longer. I find it more effective if my detainee can hear as well as see the affect their silence has on those they love.” Seeing no reaction from Steve he continued. “Ahhhhhh… I see the Navy has taught you well, Commander, but your training won’t do you any good here. You see, I’m not of a mind to break you or demand any information from you which you need to stoically protect. You are but a tool to be used to get what I want. Unfortunately, your partner here has pretty much reached the end of his usefulness to me. But he served his purpose well. You are here, after all.”

Steve’s eyes never wavered in their single minded focus on Cordoba’s eyes. Cordoba only chuckled again as he nonchalantly waved his goons forward. Seeing them advance on Steve, Annie started to struggle against her bonds, the wood of the old chair creaking and moaning under the strain of her efforts.

_**“Stop! Don’t!”**_ she cried. But before any of them could say or do anything else, another voice barely made itself known.

“Leave him alone, Cordoba. He won’t give you want you want. You’re wasting your time on him,” Danny barely breathed out. He was deathly pale, the bruising of his face, neck and torso standing out in brilliant shades of black and purple against his grey skin. Every word seemed to sap what miniscule amount of strength he had left.

“Danny!” Annie cried while at the same moment Steve hissed, “Shut up, Danny!”

“So touching,” Cordoba oozed, “the bond you all seem to have. Makes it most convenient for me to achieve my goal.”

With that, the largest of the two goons walked over to Steve and took out a long knife with a razor thin blade. Steve looked him right in the eye, not giving him the satisfaction of acknowledging what that blade meant.

“Cordoba…. please…. don’t,” Annie begged.

He ignored her and calmly waved his hand at his man to proceed. In one smooth motion the goon lifted the knife and cut a thin yet deep slice into Steve’s raised right arm from the inside of his elbow to almost the arm pit. Involuntarily Steve hissed at the pain it caused and almost immediately blood began to ooze from the wound.

“Leave him alone….” Danny weakly moaned.

“Danny… be quiet,” Steve warned. The last thing he wanted was for Cordoba to turn his attention back to Danny. He’d been through enough. Steve could take whatever they dished out. It’s not like he hadn’t been through this type of thing before. He just needed to hold out long enough, and keep Cordoba’s attention away from Danny, until Chin and Kono could figure out where they were. He held his breath as the knife was smoothly brought up again, this time to his left arm and watched as, once again, the rapier like blade came down and an identical cut was made.

The pain was excruciating and with his arms pinned above his head there wasn’t anything he could do to try to relieve it. The heat of the room along with the pain was making Steve sweat profusely, the sweat running into the cuts making them sting and burn. Annie’s eyes became huge when Steve moved his arms to try to relieve some of the pain and the movement caused the cuts to stretch and open further, the slow ooze turning into steady streams of blood that ran down both arms, onto his chest and headed toward the floor. He was already beginning to get light headed.

Annie was still struggling. She knew she couldn’t break the rope holding her wrists to the chair, but she kept trying in her desperation to help Steve and Danny.

“I said, leave him alone, you bastard….” Danny angrily whispered again. And this time, his words did draw Cordoba’s attention back to him.

“So, you’re not as out of the game as I thought, are you? Excellent!” he said as he motioned the second of his goons to approach where Danny hung. It didn’t take much. The goon simply reached up, wrapped his large hands around the cuffs on Danny’s already inflamed and bleeding wrists, and squeezed.

Danny screamed out in agony as the metal cut even further into the skin and bone of his wrists while the cuffs were tightened as far as they could possibly go. The pain caused Danny’s body to dance and jerk as ripples of torture ran down both his arms and the blood which had previously slowed to a trickle began to flow rapidly again.

Steve let out a primal growl and made an aborted jerking attempt to move in Danny’s direction, wanting nothing more than to tear Danny’s tormentor limb from limb. But his immobilized arms as well as his captured, encased feet made it impossible to move more than a few inches. This amused the goon to no end and after a quick glance at Cordoba for approval, and with an evil glint in his eyes, he drew his arm back and landed a punch to Steve’s temple which caused his knees to buckle. The weight of his unsupported body jolted his outstretched, bleeding arms and he couldn’t help the scream that escaped his lips. Cordoba’s man snickered at Steve’s state and made a move to advance once again on Danny.

“Stop…. please stop…” Annie tearfully begged. “I’ll give you want you want…. just please stop.”

“Annie…. don’t…” Steve wheezed only to have the bastard lay into him with several more blows which not only took his breath away but caused the room to blink out several times. Blood was now pouring from a large cut over his right eye as well as his arms.

Eyes filled with tears, Annie looked at Steve then turned her gaze on Danny. He was awake but just barely. His breathing was ragged and his skin had lost even more color which she didn’t think was possible. She closed her eyes, causing the tears pooled there to stream down her face.

Cordoba held up a hand and his man moved slightly away from the two hanging men. Cordoba moved to stand in front of Annie.

“Tell me where the flash drive is…. _**now!**_ ”

She looked past him and caught Steve’s eye. He shook his head, ever so slightly, telling her to be quiet. And even though Annie was truly frightened now, more for Steve and especially for Danny, then for herself, she wasn’t ready to give in to Cordoba yet. She needed to be stronger than that.

“I don’t have it anymore,” she replied. “It’s in the hands of HPD now.”

Anger quickly filling Cordoba’s features, he reached back and brutally hit Annie across the face again. This blow, much harder than the previous one, caused not only her head to violently snap back, but the entire chair to shake and rattle. When Annie raised her head again, she could taste the telltale sign of blood in her mouth and feel the large split in her lip which was already beginning to swell.

“Leave her alone, you bastard,” Danny wheezed.

“Danny…. for the love of God… shut up!” Steve warned again, even though he knew it was futile.

“Mind your manners, cop,” Cordoba’s man said as he advanced on Danny again, this time with the knife he’d previously used on Steve in his hand. “You rather we concentrate on you?”

“NO… leave him alone… he’s had enough!” Steve screamed as Annie continued to shake and struggle in the chair also screaming at the man, “NO…. no more…. leave him alone.” But it was no use.

Ignoring them both, he approached Danny, who painfully lifted his head to watch the man advance. Carefully he studied Danny, looking this way and that, as if trying to decide the best, or in this case worst, place to strike. A slow, evil smile spread over his face as he came to his decision. Holding up the knife, still coated with Steve’s blood, in front of Danny face so he could see it, he slowing lowered it to Danny’s chest.

Steve and Annie continued to shout. Annie pleading with them to stop. Steve alternating between curses and threats. Terrified, Danny closed his eyes as he felt the cold blade touch the skin on his chest, just below his rib cage. Time seemed to stop when nothing happened for several beats of Danny’s heart. He could hear his sister and his brother screaming for him, screaming for it to stop, but they sounded so far away now. His breathing was shallow and ragged, his rapid pulse pounding in his ears, when with one terrible blow, that small amount of air was completely cut off as the blade was viciously plunged into his side.

Danny’s eyes sprang open from the shock of the thrust and a blood curdling scream was torn from his throat, mixing with Annie’s anguished cry and Steve’s murderous shout before everything stopped. He couldn’t feel the blood that was pouring from his side. He couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t hear anything and what he could see when he looked over to Annie, was tunneling in from the sides until everything was cold, silent and black.

_**“Danny! Danny!”** _ Both Annie and Steve yelled but there was no response from their beloved brother. When Steve tried again to move toward Danny, his tormentor struck out with the back of his closed fist and landed yet another concussive blow to Steve’s head which rendered him unconscious as well.

Standing off to the side, Cordoba was enjoying the show immensely, as his constant chuckling proved. Annie looked over at him, her tear-tracked face filled with unadulterated hatred.

_**“You son-of-a-bitch,”**_ Annie growled “they have nothing to do with this.”

“Ah… but you see, actually, they do. Just like your dear partner in New York. What was his name again? Tony, was it? You bring them into the fold, they pay the consequences, just like you do. Or, should I say, like you were supposed to.”

“What are you talking about?” Annie seethed. She hated hearing Cordoba talk about Tony. It dirtied his memory, having this piece of trash utter his name.

“What he’s talking about, Annie, is that you were supposed to die in that shootout too.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

  
He walked in slowly, casually, as if he were strolling into a cocktail party and looking around for familiar faces. He walked over to the unresponsive Danny, lowering his head and cocking it to the side in an attempt to look into his face, then turned to Annie.

“Personally, I don’t see the family resemblance at all but then again, he doesn’t resemble much of anything right now, does he?” He asked viciously.

He continued to walk over to Steve, who was just beginning to regain consciousness. Steve’s focus immediately zeroed in on the newcomer.

“Now this one still has some fight in him, eh, Commander? Ready to come back for more?” he asked jovially as he turned his back on Steve to look down at Annie.

Annie clenched her fists, turning every knuckle pure white. The hatred she had felt only a few short seconds ago for Cordoba, intensified tenfold into a blood boiling fury as she looked into the handsome, smiling face of Alex Sanchez.

Still trying to wrench her arms free, Annie snarled at her one-time friend. “How could you? You were his friend. He trusted you. We both did!”

“Yes… yes. Necessity creates the need for unpleasant decisions but then if the payday is lucrative enough, it’s somehow much easier to overlook the unpleasant necessities,” he mocked her. “Now, if you don’t mind, where is the flash drive you took from that office? I’m not going to ask again and, quite frankly, I don’t think these two, especially your dear brother here, are up to much more of your procrastinating.”

“I’ll tell you what I told him,” she said, not even sparing a glance at Cordoba. “I don’t have it. HPD does.” Annie knew Chin and Kono had no idea where they were but she remembered Steve ordering a copy be made of the flash drive. She needed to figure out a way to get Sanchez to contact them and demand its return.

Sanchez considered her words for a few moments. He knew she was telling the truth and HPD had the flash drive. He really wasn’t worried about them cracking the encryption. He’d had the best computer technicians Cordoba’s money could buy take care of that. It was just imperative they get the damn thing back.

“I considered bringing you into this with me, you know? It would have been so easy for the two of us to manipulate the investigation, send the forces in the wrong direction. You had access to all the files and intel, I had the inside connection with our friend here. It would have been a perfect match. But that Boy Scout partner of yours…. you had to go and request he be part of the investigation, didn’t you? I knew he’d be a thorn in my side and in yours, too. He had to be eliminated for me to even approach you with the offer.”

Annie actually laughed. “You honestly believe I’d have _**ever**_ gone along with whatever you and this bastard had cooked up? I always thought you were intelligent, Alex. Guess I was wrong!”

Alex simply smiled at her. “No, I soon realized you would never have joined me. But you and that joke of a partner of yours had access to the files. The files that would be my downfall and the downfall of my very well connected benefactor. That could not happen. You both needed to die.”

Annie’s blood ran cold. “ _ **It was you!**_ Somehow you managed to get me and Tony assigned to that detail.”

“It really wasn’t hard, you know. The Captain is an old friend. He was a bit ahead of me at the Academy but we became friends anyway. It was a simple matter to suggest that the two officers most familiar with the files and the way “those people” worked, would be an asset to the raid. Later, when I learned you were planning to come to Hawaii to follow Cordoba, I let the Captain know you were about to go rogue. Leaving your laptop powered up on your desk, even for only the few moments it takes to use the bathroom really isn’t the smartest thing to do, you know? Anyway, it was easy to convince the Captain of my “deep concern” over your welfare if you took off on your own. So, you see, I only had your best interests at heart” he smirked. “Now, tell me, Annie. Who has the flash drive?”

“That would be my team,” Steve answered, his voice shaky and shallow. He’d lost a lot of blood and the pounding in his head, along with his extremely queasy stomach told him he definitely had a concussion.

Sanchez once again turned to face Steve. Steve tried to focus on his face but it shimmered and swam as Sanchez coldly looked him right in the eye as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Steve immediately recognized it as a burner.

“It looks like a little rendezvous is in order then.” He made a great show of pulling a second phone from his pocket. This time Steve recognized it as his own. Turning on the phone and sliding his finger across the phone’s screen he immediately accessed Steve’s speed dial contact list. “Let’s see here… contact #1… Danny Williams. Well, _**that’s**_ a moot point now, isn’t it? Contact #2...Chin Ho Kelly. I suppose he will have to do.”

Reading Chin’s number off Steve’s phone, Sanchez dialed it on the burner, immediately powering down Steve’s phone, dropping it on the floor and stomping on it until it was nothing but small pieces of broken plastic and circuits.

 

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

  
Toast had been as good as his word and when Kono reached the bullpen she found that Chin had arrived and was already accessing the flash drive data Toast had uploaded. Five minutes later, Toast was also in the bullpen, flash drive in hand.

“Did you do it?” Kono asked as she reached for the drive.

“Yeah, just like we said.” He turned to Chin and filled him in on what he and Kono had decided to do.

“I’ve downloaded all the information from the drive onto your server and pretty much deleted it all from this drive. But I’ve left a footprint of every file so it looks like it’s still there.”

“So, unless someone actually tried to open a file, it will look like it’s intact?” Chin asked.

“Exactly.”

“Good idea. That won’t buy us a lot of time, but it may be enough. Ok, if all three of us work on these files together, we’ll have a better shot of finding something that can help us.” With that, all three silently went to work.

It’s amazing how much faster it is to get through tons of data when you’re not only talented in your own right, but have an expert hacker at your disposal. It didn’t take long before they found just what they were looking for.

“Holy shit!” Toast exclaimed “check this out!” Toast swiped the file he’d been reading up onto the overhead screen.

“I know him, don’t I?” Kono asked. “Why does he look familiar?”

“Oh my God. That’s Congressman Sheldon Lankford,” Chin chimed in as a photo showing a much younger Lankford and Cordoba sharing a drink at an outdoor cantina popped up on the screen. “You recognize him because he was in the files we got from NYPD. That big raid that went down in Colombia, the one that eventually put Cordoba in charge of the cartel? Lankford was the head of DEA at the time.”

“There’s more” Toast added, swiping another file onto the screen. “There are multiple entries throughout the files of meetings, phone calls, bank transactions; all kinds of shit. Looks like Lankford’s been in bed with Cordoba for years.”

“Annie and Tony must have stumbled onto something in the files. She mentioned that mysterious _**“him”**_ but she never mentioned Lankford.” Kono said.

“Maybe they didn’t know. She said there were several files she and Tony hadn’t gotten to. Maybe they hadn’t found it yet. All they knew was Lankford was head of DEA, nothing else,” said Chin.

“But _**we**_ went through every file she and Tony had access to. There is no mention of Lankford anywhere in there besides being with DEA.”

“Not every file. Remember Annie said there were files missing.”

“That’s why her Captain didn’t send them. They weren’t there for him to send. Someone got to the files and took out the damning evidence before we ever got the file transfer.”

“But who?” Toast asked.

“Alex Sanchez!” Kono exclaimed. “According to Annie, he’s the only person who could have possibly known about her finding that flash drive. She was sure he saw her with it and since she knows she didn’t tell a soul about it, he’s the only possibility.”

“Ok, let’s try to put this together” Chin began. “Lankford is working with Cordoba. Lankford used his power as head of DEA to set Diego Andres up for the fall that put Cordoba in power and to forge a relationship which I can only assume has been mutually beneficial.”

“You can say that again,” Toast added. “There are logs of multiple wire transfers from cartel accounts into a Cayman Island account which I am willing to bet my eye teeth belongs to Lankford. Won’t be hard to track down, just give me a few seconds. Also there are several donations to Lankford’s campaign coffers. All under the legal limit to avoid tripping any suspicion and all from what would have looked like legitimate contributors. Laundered no doubt. Give me a few more seconds for those.”

Kono took over from there. “So, Lankford helped put Cordoba in power and in turn, Cordoba gave Lankford not only personal money but the financial capital to mount an election bid for Congress, which, obviously, he won. Not once, but twice! Just how much legislation did Lankford propose or vote down in order to help Cordoba’s business ventures over the last 10 years?” she pondered.

“How does Sanchez fit into this?” Toast asked.

“He’s the mole…. there’s no other explanation,” Chin said. “He saw Annie with the flash drive, he’s the only other person who knew about it. I think Annie was right. That drive is only a copy and the original was somehow compromised or destroyed. As Assistant District Attorney assigned to the investigation, Sanchez also would’ve had access to the files and I’m willing to bet he’s the one who altered them, taking out all the references to Lankford, all the transactions and entries tying him to Cordoba. The only references left tying Lankford to the cartel was on that flash drive. Is it any wonder they are desperate to get it back?”

“Toast…. I need you to do that trace. Find out where all the money came from, the accounts, who owns them and where the money went. Kono…. forward everything to NYPD and the Feds. It’s time to bring down the cartel and their very influential Congressman.”

There were times when Toast’s brilliance as a hacker came in extremely handy, for it took him less than 10 minutes to gather all the intel he could find on the cash flow between Cordoba, the cartel and Lankford. Kono quickly got in touch with the Justice Department, choosing to circumvent NYPD for the moment. The Department would coordinate with NYPD if they felt they needed to. Within 15 minutes, the wheels were in motion to bring down Lankford.

Kono and Chin had just finished transferring all the pertinent information to the Justice Department when Chin’s phone began dancing across the surface of the table. Grabbing it before it could skitter onto the floor, Chin answered it without even checking to see who it was.

“Kelly.”

“The flash drive…. bring it…. Our Lady of Good Counsel Church…. Pearl City. The candle stands in the back…. drop the flash drive into the donation slot and leave….. 20 minutes.”

“Who is this?!?!” but it was no use. The call immediately disconnected. Chin tried a rapid trace but he knew it was futile. The call didn’t last nearly long enough and it was probably a burner anyway.

“Kono…” Chin yelled and when she ran in from her office, he filled her in on the call he’d just received.

“Thank God we have the wiped flash drive. We need to get it to the church. Call Duke, tell him we need him and his men at the church to grab whoever comes to clean out the candle stand collection box.”

“Got it,” Kono replied as she reached for her phone.

“Wait…. that may not be necessary,” Toast interrupted. “I found something,”

“What? We don’t have time for detours, Toast.”

“Then this should take care of that.”

“Get on with it, brah!”

Toast swiped yet another file onto the screen and began to explain what they were looking at.

“This is a list of legitimate real estate transactions Cordoba’s representatives used to move the money around, to hide it until they could pass it along. There are entries for properties all over the country, mostly on the coasts but not exclusively.”

“Toast, I swear to God!”

“Yeah…. right…. there is only one property in Hawaii. This one! There’s a listing for it because it’s for sale again.” He proceeded to swipe the sale listing on the screen.

 

 

99-1295 Waiua Place, Aiea, HI 96701  
Clean, well maintained warehouse/office complex. There is one (1) below ground floor warehouse space available. It is 7,904 square feet of warehouse space. There are two (2) second and two (2) third floor office spaces of 1,612.5 square feet, 2,988.5 square feet, 2,905 square feet and 7,368 available. The 2,905 square foot space and the 7,368 square foot space can be combined to make a 10,273 square foot space. Two (2) fourth floor warehouse spaces of 2,790 square feet and 1,756 square feet are also available. With CAM at $.38 this makes the total cost of these office spaces significantly less than other office spaces. Parking of 1 stall per 1,000 square feet of warehouse space and 1 stall per 600 square feet of office space are included at no extra cost. Additional stalls are available for rent on a space available basis at $75.00 per stall. Electricity is separately metered.  


 

“I hacked into the County Clerk’s office and pulled the blueprints. The property also has a sub-basement not noted in the listing. If someone wanted to hold someone somewhere, that would be the ideal place. With all that empty warehouse space above it, no one would ever hear anything going on down there.”

“Toast, you’re brilliant! That has to be where they are holding them. Kono…. forget the Church! Call Duke, tell him to mobilize his men. We’re headed for Aiea.”


	14. Chapter 14

  
Sanchez, Cordoba and his goons had left the room a while ago leaving their three captives, well, two anyway, alone to contemplate their situation. Time was running out. Annie knew it. Steve knew it. Danny? Well, Danny didn’t know much of anything anymore. The stab wound in his side had clotted a bit but was still bleeding in a slow steady stream. Steve stared at him as intently as he could but without being able to reach him and touch him, he couldn’t tell just how much time Danny had left. He was breathing, that much Steve could tell, but it was extremely shallow and unsteady. Steve knew no major artery had been hit or Danny would be dead already but there was no way to tell what was going on internally either from the stab wound or the blunt force trauma he sustained after taking multiple hits to his chest and abdomen. All Steve did know was they needed to get Danny out of there like… yesterday!

But Steve’s situation wasn’t all that much better. He knew he was badly concussed. The pain in his head was thunderous. Every time he looked over at Annie, he swore he could see three of her. He was having trouble tracking and every time he moved his head too fast he was sure he was going to barf his guts up. He also knew if Danny were conscious he’d have no feeling whatsoever in his arms from being suspended for so long because Steve had almost no feeling in his arms either.

What he _**was**_ sure of was they were beginning to show signs of becoming infected. The little he could turn his head to look showed him they were red and angry looking. There was also the beginning of an ugly drainage coming from them both and he assumed the reason he was shivering one moment and boiling the next meant he was running a temperature. He wasn’t sure just how long they’d been there but he knew time was running out, that was for damn sure.

Annie watched as Steve took stock of both his own injuries and Danny’s. She was terrified but doing her best to stay strong. In her heart, all she felt was sadness and remorse for having brought this down on her brother and his best friend.

“Steve….” she spoke, getting his attention. “I am so sorry. I never intended for this to happen, for you and Danny to get caught up in this. I never would have come if……”

“Annie…. stop.” Steve tried to sound confident but his strength was waning rapidly from not only the concussion and blood loss but the infection as well. “You did exactly what I would have done… exactly what Danny would have done. This is not your fault!”

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing, Steve,” Annie said, her voice watery. “Please tell me you can see him breathing.”

“It’s shallow and…. irregular,” he hesitated to tell her, “but he’s still breathing, Annie.”

“Thank God!” As hard as it was, she attempted to reign in her emotions. “I heard them,” she said, her voice a bit stronger as she swallowed around her words. “They called Chin. Demanded he drop off the flash drive at some church in Pearl City. You were right.”

“How long ago…. how long was I out?”

“I’m not sure, a couple hours? Maybe. I called and called but you just didn’t want to wake up. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you’re not supposed to sleep with a concussion?” She attempted to keep her voice light and teasing but failed miserably.

She saw the flicker of a small smile he valiantly tried to give her but before he had the chance to say another word, the door to the large room burst open, Cordoba and Sanchez storming in with Cordoba’s two goons hot on their heels. “Oh… this can’t be good,” Steve thought.

“They didn’t show up!” Sanchez growled as he advanced on Annie. “Goddamn it all to hell…. they didn’t show up! What game are they playing?”

Being a really good cop, Annie immediately saw it for what it was. A quick glance at Steve told her he was thinking the exact same thing. Chin and Kono had come up with something. Something that made dropping the flash drive at the church unnecessary. Sanchez was panicking and completely losing his head.

With an angry growl, he reached down and grabbed Annie by the upper arms. His grip was incredibly strong and Annie could feel the bruising already starting to form. His eyes were blazing in a fury of panic. Cordoba and his men were stationed behind Annie, where she couldn’t see them, but she knew they were there by the way Sanchez’s eyes kept darting over her head to look at them.

“Leave her alone…. you son-of-a-bitch…. _**leave…. her…. alone!!”**_ Steve weakly yelled. Cordoba’s men moved from his side and immediately flanked Steve, guns drawn. “I’d keep quiet if I were you cop! If you know what’s good for you,” the biggest of the two warned as he pressed the barrel of his gun to Steve’s temple.

Completely ignoring Steve, Sanchez literally picked Annie up, chair and all, with the force of the grip on her arms. “What the hell is going on Annie? Why didn’t they show up? What did you tell them? Did you tell them what was on that drive?”

“How the hell should I know what’s going on, Alex?” Annie cried out. The pain in her arms was intensifying as he began to shake her in his fury. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been here with you this whole time. I have no idea what Five-0 is up to!”

She tried to fight him off, twisting her body and pulling on the ropes that bound her arms, anything to get him off her. Finally, his arms gave out from the weight and he let the chair clatter back to the floor. It moaned and creaked from the impact but he didn’t completely let go.

Annie continued to struggle to get her arms out of his grasp and as she did so, she noticed something remarkable. She tried to school her features, to keep her breathing under control so she wouldn’t give it away, but when Alex had let the chair fall to the floor, the force of the impact, as well as Annie's struggles, had caused the back of the old wooden chair to loosen. Where her arms were completely immobile before, now she could feel some play between the ropes and her skin. She had to get him off of her before he realized it too.

Annie had no idea how long they’d been there but her mouth was bone dry from both fear and lack of water. But she did her best to try to work up as much saliva as she could. She had to get Alex away from that chair. She worked it as much as she could, leaned her head back and spit full in his face. His reaction was just as she’d hoped.

“Goddamn it…. you little bitch!” He roared as he immediately stumbled away from her, disgustingly wiping at his face. His anger seemed to geometrically multiply as he reached back and prepared to punch her full in the face.

_**“No!! … Don’t!!”**_ Steve yelled and struggled again, ignoring the blood and discharge running down his arms and the way the gun was pressing against his temple. His head was swimming but he didn’t have to suffer through the dizziness for very long because Cordoba’s man didn’t take kindly to being disobeyed.

“I … told… you… to _**shut up!”**_ he roared and before Steve could even blink, the barrel of the gun made vicious contact with his head. Steve lost the tender hold he had on consciousness for the last time.

_**“Steve!”**_ Annie screamed.

_**“Enough!”**_ Cordoba interrupted. “Enough! This is getting us nowhere and we have wasted enough time.”

Cordoba walked around the chair. Placing his hand in the center of Sanchez’s chest he moved his companion away from Annie and took the place in front of her.

“I am tired of this game. I want what is mine and I’m not willing to wait any longer to have it. Your friends at Five-0 will bring me the drive unless they want to find all three of your dead bodies. You know me, Annie,” Cordoba continued, using her name for the very first time. “You have studied me enough to know that I am ruthless and will not be thwarted in my desires. I cannot risk having this location compromised so an alternate method of delivering a message is obviously needed. Someone will have to carry my message to Five-0. I think finding the body of one of their own along some desolate road should send the proper message, don’t you? The only question is, which one will it be, Annie? Who will die for you this time?”

“I don’t know what you mean! I don’t understand.”

“I was there, you know. In that warehouse when your partner foolishly took the bullet that was meant for you. Of course, he had no way of knowing at the time that there was another one meant for him as well. Only poor timing on the part of my associates allowed you to survive. So, I ask again. Like your partner before them, which one of these two will die for you this time?”

“This is ridiculous! Let’s get out of here!” Sanchez exclaimed. “Just kill them all now and be done with it! I get _**her!**_ ” He snarled as he leaned over Annie until they were practically nose to nose.

Annie held her ground. She defiantly stared back into the hard, cold, hate-filled eyes of the man she once called “friend”. What had happened to change him? A question for another day. Right now, she was much more interested in his sports jacket, in the way it hung open as he leaned over her. In the gun she saw sticking out of the waistband.

 

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

  
99-1295 Waiua Place sat at the end of a long cul-de-sac with similar industrial buildings on either side. Both buildings were still partially occupied, judging by the number of cars and trucks in the lots out front. Ideally Chin would have preferred to conduct this raid at night, when darkness could be used to their advantage and the adjacent buildings would be more empty. But Steve and Annie had already been in Cordoba’s hands for several hours and Danny even longer than that. Waiting another hour for the sun to go down simply wasn’t an option.

Chin, Kono and Toast, along with Duke Lukela and Officer Okuda were in the surveillance van parked in the lot of the building next door. It was a small food distribution center so it was relatively easy for their “food truck” surveillance van to blend in with the various delivery trucks with logos ranging from Haagen-Dazs ice cream to DiGiorno Pizza. The rest of Duke’s men were stealthily deployed around the building.

At the moment, everyone was leaning over Toast’s shoulder as he sat monitoring all the equipment. He’d been unsurprisingly terrified when asked to participate in this raid. But a promise from Kono that all he’d have to do is stay in the van with Okuda on guard, as well as his own determination to finish what he’d started and find Danny, overruled his usual sense of self preservation. Thinking about the very large coconut shell filled with pakalolo waiting for him at home when this was over didn’t hurt either.

“Heat signatures show nine warm bodies. Two are stationed on the ground floor. Probably guarding the stairway down to the sub-basement. Seven additional signatures show down there. Four are moving around and three are stationary, one sitting and two standing against a back wall. That’s weird.” Toast said.

Chin, Kono and Duke exchanged worried glances, not liking what that implied, even if it was a comfort to hear the three stationary signatures were all warm…. all alive… at least for the time being.

“Dammit… we need to know what’s going on in there, Toast! How long before the digital audio is up?”

“Five minutes…. tops!”

Chin turned to Duke. “Get your men in position. As soon as we have audio and can confirm our people are in there, we move!”

“On it!” Duke replied, reaching for his police radio.

It only took a few moments more before Toast finally called out “got it… audio’s up.” After flicking a switch or two, they could all hear what was going on inside.

 

_**“No!! … Don’t!!”** _

_“I … told… you… to_ _**shut up!”**_

_**“Steve!”** _

_**“Enough** …. enough! This is getting us nowhere and we have wasted enough time.”_

_“I am tired of this game. I want what is mine and I’m not willing to wait any longer to have it. Your friends at Five-0 will bring me the drive unless they want to find all three of your dead bodies. You know me, Annie. You have studied me enough to know that I am ruthless and will not be thwarted in my desires. I cannot risk having this location compromised so an alternate method of delivering a message is obviously needed. Someone will have to carry my message to Five-0. I think finding the body of one of their own along some desolate road would send the proper message, don’t you? The only question is, which one will it be, Annie? Which one will die for you this time?”_

_“I don’t know what you mean! I don’t understand.”_

_“I was there, you know. In that warehouse when your partner foolishly took the bullet that was meant for you. Of course, he had no way of knowing at the time that there was another one meant for him as well. Only poor timing on the part of my associates allowed you to survive. So, I ask again. Like your partner before them, which one of these two will die for you this time?”_

_“This is ridiculous! Let’s get out of here! Just kill them all now and be done with it! I get **her!”**_

 

“That’s enough” Chin growled as he and Kono double checked their weapons and their ear buds. “Toast, keep monitoring. Patch the audio through to the buds so we can hear everything that’s going on. Duke... deploy your men!”


	15. Chapter 15

  
“This is ridiculous! Let’s get out of here! Just kill them all now and be done with it! I get _**her!**_ ”

Cordoba forcibly pulled Alex away from Annie.

“Fool! We still need that flash drive. They will all die soon enough but, for now, we need at least one of them for leverage to retrieve that drive. Once we have it in hand, I promise you, she is all yours.”

“All right…. all right.” Sanchez huffed, running a hand through his hair. He turned toward Cordoba’s men. “You! You’re local. Where is a good spot to dump a body that’s remote but accessible enough to be fairly easily found?”

“I know a place,” the big one said. “The Maunawili Trail, on the windward side of the island, off the Pali Highway. Runs through Waimanalo Forest Reserve. Not over crowded. It’s used mostly by hikers and mountain bikers.”

“Excellent,” Cordoba said. “Now, Annie, have you made your choice? Who will be my messenger?”

 

_“Chin…. we’re running out of time,” Kono whispered._

_“Duke…. are your men in position?”_

_“Ready whenever you are, Lieutenant.”_

_“Wait for my signal. No one is to engage without my go-ahead. Is that understood?”_

_“Copy that.”_

_“Kono…. we need to access the room with the door that leads down to the sub-basement. Once we take those guards out, we can move our people in position.”_

_“Chin,” Toast’s voice called over the coms._

_“I’m here.”_

_“There’s another door, Chin.”_

_“What? Where?” Kono asked._

_“The wall where the two heat signatures are standing, behind it is another room. If you access that room, you can enter the main area from opposite directions and really take them by surprise. And if those signatures are your people, there’s less chance of them being hit by crossfire from that direction. But Chin…. those signatures haven’t moved in a long time. Whatever you’re going to do, you better do it soon!”_

_“Copy that…. great work Toast. Duke… did you read that?”_

_“Yes sir, Lieutenant. I’ve already sent half my men to cover the new location. Just give us the word. I’ve also got EMT on standby right up the road.”_

 

Steve, and especially Danny, were dying. Of that, Annie had no doubt. But she’d be damned if she’d give Cordoba or Sanchez the satisfaction of hearing her voice her fears. “Choose a messenger, my ass,” she thought.

She’d been steadily working on the ropes around her arms and wrists as they were plotting their next move and little by little she’d been able to loosen them. All she needed was an opening.

“Let me see,” Cordoba pondered as he moved over to where the two unconscious men were hanging from the wall. He reached out and lifted Steve’s head by his hair. “If only I could have men such as this working for me. Such strength of body, mind and character. Such fierce determination. What a waste. His death would send a powerful message.”

He then moved over to Danny. “This one is gone….” (Annie’s heart literally stopped that very second, until Cordoba continued) “.... well, nearly so anyway. Perhaps we should be merciful and help him the rest of the way. Yes, I think that would be best.”

_**“Nooo!”**_ Annie wailed

 

_“We have to move now, Chin,” Kono pleaded._

 

“He’s not long for this world as it is. If we use the SEAL, this one will probably die very shortly anyway. I’d be left with only you. I’m not ready to lose two-thirds of my leverage just yet.”

 

_“Duke…. are your men in position?”_

_“Yes sir!”_

_“On my mark….”_

 

Sanchez was disgusted with what he saw as a total waste of time on Cordoba’s part. As much as he said he was tired of the game, he was still toying with Annie and enjoying it. Sanchez couldn’t stand to watch it for another second so he wandered away from the small group. That’s when he heard it. A scuffling above his head. “No… it couldn’t be... they were so careful”.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what? I didn’t hear anything.”

“Be quiet…. I’m sure I heard something”

“You’re letting your imagination get to you. Come over here and help me get this one down.”

_**“Get your hands off of him”** _ Annie screamed. Not only was she terrified for Danny but Alex had been right… she’d heard the noise above them too. It could only mean one thing and she wanted … needed to be heard, to provide sound that could be followed.

“You bastard!” Annie loudly spit out. “You were worthless as a cop, Alex, and you were worthless as a prosecutor. What was it? The money, the power, the adrenaline rush? Why am I even bothering to try to figure out what’s in the pathetic mind of such a worthless, contemptible little weasel as you? Thank God your father didn’t live to see what scum you’ve become.”

It only took a second for her to get the response she was hoping for…. getting him away from Danny and closer to her. Sanchez wheeled around, the rage that had been in his eyes all day finally at its breaking point. He stormed over to her chair, leaned over and put his hands firmly around her throat.

“Now you die _**bitch**_ … like you should have before!” he seethed and his hands began to tighten around her neck.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a bright idea, after all,” she quickly thought as Alex’s strong hands clenched tighter. She could feel her airway being cut off and spots were beginning to form in front of her eyes. Knowing she only had a matter of seconds to make her move she gathered all the strength she had left and…...

_**“FIVE-0…. FREEZE!”** _

It happened so fast Annie wasn’t even sure what was coming from where. All she knew was at the sound of Chin’s voice the grip Sanchez had on her throat vanished. Taking only a split second to regain a breath she pulled on her arms as hard as she could. The skin ripped and burned but it was a small price to pay when she was able to pull both from the ropes that she’d managed to loosen. Once her arms were free, the rest of the ropes fell away, freeing her legs as well.

Sanchez had looked in the direction of Chin’s shout. Annie spared only a second to try and glance in that direction as well but that didn’t slow her down. She viciously lifted her knee as hard and fast as she could and was immediately rewarded with a howl of pain as it brutally connected with Sanchez’s balls. He staggered back and fell to the floor, eyes watering, but her legs had been immobile so long; the kick hadn’t been very strong. Before she was able to get herself completely out of the chair, he was back on his feet.

Both Chin and Kono had stormed in from the door behind Annie, taking Cordoba totally by surprise. Reaching for his gun as he wheeled around, Kono didn’t hesitate to shoot to kill. He hit the ground like a sack of wet cement.

Chin immediately took aim at the men flanking Steve and Danny. “Put the guns down and back away… now!”

Both strengthened the hold on their weapons as well as their aim. “Don’t come any closer… “

But it was a ridiculous maneuver as Duke and his men suddenly burst through the door none of them even knew was there, in the wall where both men still hung. The thug with his gun on Danny wheeled toward the oncoming officers and began firing. Duke and his men dove for cover but Chin had already taken control. Carefully aiming his shot to avoid getting anywhere near Danny, Chin took the goon out easily. When his companion turned his gun in Chin’s direction he was met by the stone cold stare of Kono. “Don’t even think about it!” she warned. Seeing Chin as well as the other officers all turned and aiming in his direction he lowered his weapon to the floor then followed it, landing on his knees with his hands behind his neck. “Smart play, brah,” Kono smirked

Annie, of course, could hear what was going on but she didn’t spare a second thought to any of them. Her focus was on Sanchez and Sanchez alone.

As the others stormed the room, Annie leapt to her feet just as Sanchez was regaining his balance. Throwing a body tackle on him, they both went to the floor in a heap. He was bigger and stronger and his combat training at the police academy had been the same as hers, but several years behind a desk, stalking courtrooms and being a lap dog for the cartel had slowed him down. Annie, on the other hand, had kept up her training and was in top form.

Annie’s initial tackle sent Sanchez to the floor hard, knocking the wind out of him and sending his gun skittering a few feet away. She took the opportunity to hit him with a hook to the jaw that had his head buzzing. Playing dirty, he grabbed her by the hair to give himself more maneuverability but she quickly knocked his arm away, each fighting for dominance over the other. Somehow they both managed to get back on their feet, circling each other, looking for an opening. Annie got her chance when the goon covering Danny began to fire. Sanchez instinctively flinched at the sound and Annie saw her chance.

Using a roundhouse kick to the face to bring him down again, she immediately scanned the floor, seeing the gun under the tipped over broken chair she had been tied to. Realizing what she was going for Sanchez reached out and grabbed her ankle, bringing her down to the floor again. Rolling away from her, he attempted to get back up but using her feet, she swept his legs out from under him and began a frantic crawl to the chair and the gun.

With a howl of pure animalistic fury, Sanchez rose to his feet and advanced on her, ready to finish it when Annie rolled over and holding his gun, aimed right at his heart.

_**"Do it!”**_ she shouted. “Give me a reason, you son-of-a-bitch!”

He almost did. Just for a second… a momentary flinch in her direction until the sound of multiple HPD weapons preparing to fire reached his ears. If the old adage “if looks could kill” were indeed true, Annie would have perished in that very instant. Instead, she climbed first to her knees, then to her feet, the gun never leaving its position aimed right at his heart, daring him, begging him, to do anything so she could pull the trigger.

“On your knees, Sanchez,” Duke ordered, then reached to secure his wrists in cuffs and haul him to his feet. “You are under arrest, for murder, attempted murder, kidnap……”

Duke’s voice faded as he and his men marched Sanchez and the one surviving goon from the room but Annie didn’t give them another thought. Her sole focus now was Danny and Steve. She ran to where Chin and Kono were unsuccessfully trying to get any response from them. Almost simultaneously as Duke walked out of the door, EMT’s burst into the room and also ran to the two men.

“We have to get them down,” Annie said.

“We will… just give us a second to assess the situation. We want to do it without causing further injury.” The senior EMT responded.

“Please... hurry!”

“Annie… let’s move back and let them do their work,” Chin said as he gently yet firmly pulled Annie away. He was horrified at the condition of his friends, especially Danny.

“Sam…. this one needs to go now… before now!” The younger of the EMT’s called out. “You….” he said pointing at Chin. “Help me over here, will you? Take his legs and lift so I can cut these cuffs off him. Easy now… easy…”

It only took a couple of seconds to get Danny down and laying on a backboard, while two HPD officers helped the other EMT, Sam, get Steve down as well.

“A second EMT unit was dispatched right after we got the call,” said the first EMT, a young local, going by his name badge, which said Maleko Mahelona. “They should be here any second. Your buddy here is a “scoop and run.” The next unit will take care of the other one.”

“But…..” it was as far as Chin got. Maleko was as good as his word as he and Sam grabbed both ends of the backboard holding Danny and literally ran from the room.

_**“Wait!”**_ Annie called. She took one instant to look at Steve on his own backboard, then a quick glance at Chin.

“Go!” Chin said as he pushed her toward the door and the retreating backs of EMT. “You need to be with Danny. Don’t worry…..” he called after her as she sped from the room…. “we’ll look after Steve!”


	16. Chapter 16

God… he hated that smell. Too many times…. too many to count. Antiseptic. He supposed he shouldn’t hate it as much as he did because at least that smell meant he’d made it out…. again. But where had he made it out from this time?

He tried to open his eyes but they were stubbornly cemented closed. He thought he heard a voice, but he wasn’t sure. The sound was soft, melodic, almost pleading. But it wasn’t meant for him. It wasn’t near him but close enough for him to sense its presence.

Behind that soft sound were other sounds competing for dominance. Beeps. Steady beeps. Lots of steady beeps, each one painfully pushing a nail into his brain. A brain that was reluctantly trying to come back online and struggling badly. And why didn’t his damn eyes open?

It was that thought that caused the beeping to accelerate. “Oh yeah… that would be my heart, wouldn’t it? Good to know,” he thought as he tried to slow his breathing and heart rate down in an effort to stop his head from exploding.

Slowly, but with tremendous effort, he worked to get his eyes to open. Eventually the smallest of slits pulled apart and his eyes were immediately invaded by a blinding light. He squeezed them shut as quickly as he could. But the voice… the voice was stronger now and he wanted to see where it was coming from. Once again he tried to open his eyes, this time much slower to allow them to acclimate to the light of the room. Little by little he was able to pry them open and blearily scan the room.

Turns out it wasn’t nearly as bright as he thought. The light over his bed was off and the blinds and curtains on the windows had been drawn. The only light coming from a table top lamp all the way on the other side of the room. And the voice was still there but now, he could understand what it was saying.

“And then Ma proceeded to show him all Patty’s baby pictures, including the one of her naked on the changing table with her little ass in the air. Patty was mortified. I tried to warn her but she wouldn’t listen! She shouldn’t introduce her new boyfriend to the family until later. Their 10th anniversary, at least”.

“You should have been there Danny. It was hysterical. You know, it’s been a long while since you’ve been home. I think we should plan while I’m here. Once you’re up and well and out of here, we should plan a trip for you and Grace to come home for a visit. You could bring Steve along, give him a taste of Jersey. The family would love it.” At the sound of his name, Steve’s heart gave a little jump.

“So you see Danny, you need to wake up now. I can’t plan such a trip for the four of us all by myself. You’ve slept long enough, lazy bones…” her voice was beginning to sound watery “... please…. please open your eyes. Please wake up Danny!” Annie pleaded.

Steve tried to look in the direction of her voice. Big mistake! The moment he turned his head red hot pokers were plunged into both his eye sockets and managed to break through his skull onto the pillow beneath it. The loud involuntary groan it produced was enough to alert Annie that he was awake. The pain also caused the monitor behind his bed to totally lose its mind as his heart rate skyrocketed to such an extent, three nurses burst into the room to make sure he was alright.

Laying there, fists clenched in the bedding and eyes squeezed shut against the pain, he endured their relentless questions, poking and prodding, all the while wishing the sweet angel of death would come and rescue him. “Are you alright?” “Do you know where you are?” “Where does it hurt?” “You need to slow your breathing.” “Try not to move your arms.” “Do you need something for the pain?” Stupid questions, useless prattling. He thinks… “wait… what’s wrong with my arms?” And there goes the heart monitor again.

“Commander please, you must try to stay calm. You’re all right.” Finally, a calm, soothing voice. “I’ll tell you what I can if you promise to calm down.”

At the slight nod of his head, the voice continued. “You have a hairline skull fracture and a very severe concussion. I know your head hurts. I’m going to give you something for that in a moment. Just let me check a few things, ok? Only a moment or two, I promise.”

“My arms?”

“They’re going to be fine. The cuts were deep but no major vessels were hit. They’ve been cleaned and stitched. You’ll probably have a couple of pretty impressive scars once you heal but you _**will**_ heal. Unfortunately, you developed a pretty nasty infection so we have you on high dose, broad spectrum antibiotics. But they're doing the job. You’re going to be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Your vitals all look good. I’ll be right back with something for that headache.”

The nurse turned and walked out the door. When Steve opened his eyes this time, it was to see Annie leaning over his bed, looking relieved.

“Oh thank God. I was so worried. It’s good to see you awake, Steve. Chin and Kono only just stepped out for a few minutes to go get coffee. They’ll be back any minute.”

“How long?”

“Two days.”

“Shit!”

“Yeah I know.”

“Danny?”

“He’s right here, Steve. Chin convinced the docs the only way to keep you in bed so you could heal was to put you both in the same room. Seems your reputation for being a less than ideal patient preceded you. They didn't even question it.”

“How bad?”

Annie hesitated. The pain he was in wasn’t lost on her, nor the fact he couldn’t seem to manage complete sentences. Steve saw the hesitation and closing his eyes to brace himself for the answer as he asked again.

“Annie, please… how bad?”

Just then the nurse returned as promised with a syringe full of blessed relief and Steve’s doctor in tow.

“It’s good to see you awake, Commander. I’m Dr. Richard Ing. Carol here has something for that headache of yours. Just let me check a few numbers and then you can get some more sleep.”

“No… not yet. Danny…. please…. I need to know.”

Dr. Ing looked at Annie who nodded for him to go ahead. “He won’t rest until you tell him so you might as well.”

“We’ll second that.” Kono said from the open door where she stood with Chin, having just returned from the cafeteria with coffees. “Take our word for it, Doc. Just tell him what he wants to know and save yourself a lot of grief trying to get him to take his medicine like a good boy.”

As happy as he was to see them, Steve chose to ignore Kono’s remark and focus on Dr. Ing. “Please….”

“Very well. Firstly, you sustained a very powerful blow to the side of your head which resulted in a fracture of the temporal bone. This, along with several previous blows, resulted in an extremely severe concussion. There was also associated brain swelling in the area. Although the swelling was minor, we felt it best to keep you sedated until the swelling subsided, which it did as of late last night. At that point we weaned you off the sedation to allow you to wake up naturally.

Now, going through your medical records, I can see this is not your first concussion, so I won’t bore you with signs, symptoms or what you should or should not be doing with regards to it,” he said, cocking his head and giving Steve the patented parents “you know the rules, young man” look.

“The fracture itself is not a significant one and will heal on its own in due course. You may experience some ringing in that ear and, unfortunately, combined with the concussion, I can promise you a pretty nasty headache for quite a while. But your EEG this morning was clear so there is no permanent damage to the brain.

Your arms sustained significant trauma from the knife cuts but luckily, while they _**were**_ deep, they didn’t hit any vital blood vessels. You did lose a decent amount of blood, however, so we gave you a transfusion while you were in surgery to debride and close the wounds. Unfortunately, the knife which was used to make the cuts transferred a great deal of bacteria into the wounds and they become quite infected so you are on broad spectrum antibiotics. Although it will take a bit of time, I expect you to make a full recovery.”

Steve bit his tongue in impatient annoyance as the doctor listed his various injuries. He couldn’t care less. All he wanted to hear this man talk about was Danny.

“Doc… please…”

“Do you understand what I have told you Commander. I understand your concern for your partner but you will be no use to him if you don’t take care of yourself as well. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes… yes… I understand” Steve gritted out “now… Danny!”

“Very well. Detective Williams’s injuries are quite a bit more severe than your own, I’m afraid. Due to multiple blows to the head and face, he, like you, has sustained a severe concussion. However, in his case, there is no skull fracture although there are multiple cuts and abrasions. His right eye is swollen shut but Ophthalmology reports there is no damage to the eye structure. That swelling should begin to subside very shortly. Orthopedics has checked out his wrists where the handcuffs cut into them. There is significant tissue damage but luckily no fractures.

His attackers did not limit themselves to blows to the head. He also sustained blunt force trauma to his chest and abdomen. Several ribs have been cracked and there is one clear break. There was, however, no lung puncture. This is extremely fortunate since hanging from his wrists put increased pressure on his lungs. Any puncture, even a very small one, would have been quickly fatal. His liver, spleen and kidney are badly bruised. Preliminary tests show functions on the low side but within normal parameters. We will, of course, continue to monitor those numbers.

The most significant injury was the stab wound high in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen. Again Detective Williams was lucky since it missed his kidney but there was considerable internal damage along with major blood loss both internal and external. This caused him to go into shock. EMT’s needed to defibrillate his heart in the ambulance in route to the hospital. The blade also nicked his small intestine. He was taken to surgery immediately from the ER. We were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage to the surrounding areas as well as the small intestine. We did a thorough cleaning of his abdominal cavity to remove intestinal leakage. There is a chance he could develop peritonitis because of the bacteria leaking from the intestine but we have him on an extremely aggressive regimen of both antibiotics and antifungals to try to combat that. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on that situation over the next several days.”

Chin, Kono and Annie stood by and quietly listened as the doctor filled Steve in on Danny’s condition. He’d already given them the full rundown two days ago. Steve had shut his eyes about halfway through the doctor’s dissertation and had the sheets in both hands in such a strangle hold his fingers were going numb. Finally, he opened his watery eyes and spoke to the doctor.

“Is he going to make it?” He was almost afraid of the answer.

“Believe it or not, he was very lucky. The extent of his injuries could have very easily been much worse and would have been if your team had gotten to him any later. He is listed as “serious but stable” at the moment. If he remains stable over the next 24 hours, I see no reason why he can’t make a full recovery. It won’t be easy, but I believe, with time, he will be fine.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath, a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. He looked over the doctor’s shoulders at his friends and saw small, relieved smiles on their faces as well. It was only then that he looked up to Carol and said “so you mentioned something to help with this headache, right?”

Carol gave him a warm smile as she walked over to the IV stand and injected the medication into the line already running into the back of his hand.

“Wow” Chin said “he _**must**_ be hurting if he’s asking for meds and is actually willing to take them!”

“I heard that.” came from the bed.

They all warmly chuckled as they watched Carol fuss around Steve as he laid back on the bed, closed his eyes and quickly fell back to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

 

“Annie.”

“Steve! You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“Groggy and remembering why I hate pain meds so much. But I have to admit, my head is a lesser degree of excruciating now. How long was I out?”

“You’re stringing together complete sentences too and that’s a hell of a lot better than it was before. You’ve been sleeping for about nine hours,” she smiled.

“Did Danny wake up? How is he?”

“No, he hasn’t woken up yet but he’s doing better. The doctor was in a couple of hours ago. All his vitals are still stable, so that’s a good thing. They needed to change his antibiotics though. He did start to develop peritonitis but they think the new drugs will handle it. The good news is he doesn’t need constant sedation anymore which is a huge improvement. He’s not unconscious now, just sleeping. Sleep is the best thing for him, I know, but I still can’t help wanting him to just wake the hell up already!”

“I can certainly understand that. You look like shit, by the way.”

“What a charmer!”

“No seriously, have you been home at all?”

“No. Chin and Kono have been wonderful. They’ve brought me clothes and food… whatever I need. I’m not leaving here until he wakes up and I’m not sure I will even then.”

Steve had to chuckle at that.

“What?”

“You sound just like Danny. I hate to tell you how many times I’ve woken up in hospital beds with Danny by my side looking like death on a cracker because he refused to leave. Must be a genetic Williams trait or something,” he smiled.

She smiled at him too, then grew serious. “What about you? Do you need anything? Are you in pain? Are you hungry?”

Steve waved off all her questions and concerns. “The only thing I need right now is for you to tell me if you’re alright and what the hell happened!”

“I’m alright. Bumps and bruises for the most part. I have a couple of loose teeth from one particularly hard hit but nothing that can’t be fixed.”

Steve noticed the bandages around both her forearms. “What happened to your arms?”

“Oh yeah… that. I managed to get the ropes off at the very last minute. I guess they weren’t as loose as I thought they were. Tore myself up pretty good. But I’m fine. EMT swooped in and took you and Danny off at a run. I came in the ambulance with Danny and the guys fixed me up pretty good on the way here than in the ER. No problem.”

“How did we get out of there? The last thing I remember was you spitting in Sanchez’s face. That was nicely done, by the way. But it’s all a blank after that.”

“Yeah, well, the goon with his gun on you decided it was a good idea to pound the damn thing into the side of your head. Hence, skull fracture and major concussion. You were out cold when the cavalry showed up. Chin, Kono and Toast figured out where we were. Cordoba is dead. Sanchez is in custody.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s more to it than that?”

Before Annie could answer, a sound from Danny’s bed caught their attention. It was low at first. So low neither was sure they had actually heard it. The soft moan of a man fighting to wake up.

Annie rushed to Danny’s side while at the same time yelling back at Steve, who was weakly attempting to get up, “You…. stay put!”

Hearing Annie’s sharp words as they were entering the room, Chin was immediately on alert. “What’s going on?” he anxiously asked.

“He’s waking up!” Steve exclaimed.

“I’ll get the doctor.”

As Kono turned on her heels and rushed from the room, Chin took up a position by Steve’s side, a hand on his shoulder to make sure he did, indeed, stay put. Chin wouldn’t put it past him, injuries and pain be damned, for Steve to try to get to Danny’s side.

Careful to avoid the dressing on his wrist, Annie took hold of Danny’s hand.

“Danny…. can you hear me? It’s Annie. You’re alright. Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”

Not a soul took a breath in the room as they waited and after only a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, Danny weakly squeezed Annie’s hand.

Annie looked over to Steve with a huge grin on her face. “Atta boy, buddy!” Steve called from his bed.

Slowly… very slowly… Danny began to try to open his eyes. Chin quickly ran to close all the window coverings and Annie doused the light over his bed. Soon, small slits of the palest blue began to peek from under Danny’s lashes and slowly, but surely, his eyes opened and he began to try to focus on the room. Annie’s face was, obviously, the first thing he saw.

“Hey….” he whispered, trying to swallow and lick dry cracked lips.

“Hey yourself. Oh Danny…. it’s so good to see those baby blues again, bro. How do you feel?”

“Thirsty….”

“Kono’s gone to get the doctor. As soon as he gives the ok we’ll get you something to drink.”

“You ok?”

“Don’t you go worrying about me. I’m just fine. See… standing on my own two feet and everything which is more than I can say about you,” she joked.

“Steve?” No one missed the worry in his weak voice.

“I’m right here, Danny,” Steve called from his bed. “Don’t worry, I’m good.”

Danny actually managed a small smirk at Steve’s words. “Of course you are.”

Just then Kono returned with Dr. Ing in tow. “Well, look who decided to join the party. Nice to see you with your eyes open, Detective Williams.”

“Danny,” he corrected with a small smile.

“Of course… Danny. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got run over by a semi, that backed up over me, then ran me over again.”

Dr. Ing chuckled. “Well, I can certainly understand that since I think that semi might have done less damage. But, don’t worry. We managed to put all the pieces back together. You’re going to be fine. Your vitals all look good, and your kidney and liver functions are back to normal. You won’t be running around the island for a while but I think after plenty of good old fashioned rest you should begin to feel like yourself in good time. You were very lucky, Danny.”

He then proceeded to fill Danny in on everything he’d already told the others. By the time he was done, Danny was exhausted, looking grey and wanting nothing more than a drink of water and the cool side of his pillow. Once Dr. Ing was done with his examination, Carol the nurse bustled in with some ice chips for Danny to suck on.

“I know it’s not the pitcher of water you were hoping for but you need to start off slow. Just suck on this to wet your mouth and we’ll get you something tall and cool the next time around, I promise, she smiled at him. Danny smiled back and gratefully took the spoonful of ice Annie offered him. Two minutes later, he was sound asleep again.

Steve had watched it all from his bed, with Chin’s hand still firmly on his shoulder. He was extremely disappointed he didn’t get a chance to talk to Danny, but Danny was here. He was alive, healing and in the bed right beside him. With those thoughts happily humming in his brain, Steve let his eyes drop shut knowing Danny would be there to talk to when they both woke up in the morning.

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

  
“Steve…. hey Steve…”

“Hmmmmm?”

“Hey man…. wake up! I’m tired of watching everyone sleep,” Danny whispered.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping too?” Steve whispered back as he rolled over to face Danny’s bed with a huge smile on his face.

“I woke up.”

“Obviously. Well, you look a lot better than you did last night! How long you been up?”

“I don’t know, half hour or so. Having a hard time getting comfortable. Damn ribs!” Then glancing around room he added, “Just look at them, will you! Do you think any of them have been home at all?”

“Chin and Kono have been in and out between home, HQ and bringing stuff here for Annie. She hasn’t left your side since we got here.”

Danny turned his head to look over the side of the bed at the reclining chair pushed as closed to him as it could get. He smiled warmly at the only thing he could see. The top of the tousled head of his beloved sister, sound asleep but with her hand still in his.

“She did great, Danny” Steve said. “I wasn’t conscious at the end, I don’t know everything that went down yet, but before I was knocked out? You would have been so proud of her. She stood her ground, didn’t give them an inch. She’s a Williams through and through, brother!”

“I was always proud of her. I suppose I should have told her that more, huh?” Danny said as he attempted to sit up higher in the bed. It was the loud groan of pain when he moved a bit too fast that woke up not only Annie, but Chin and Kono as well, who had been sleeping on the loveseat on the other side of the room. It took all of about 3 seconds for all three of them to converge on Danny. The sight was so comical; Steve couldn’t help laughing.

“Owww… don’t make me laugh... my head!” He laughed and moaned at the same time.

“What are the two of you doing up?” Kono lovingly scolded. “Didn’t you hear the doctor? You’re supposed to be resting!”

“We have to wake up eventually, don’t we?” Danny asked. “If we didn’t, then we’d be dead!”

He meant it as a joke but Annie blanched. “Don’t …. just…. don’t! Don’t even joke around about that.”

“Hey…. I’m sorry, sis. That was stupid. Come here…” Annie gently put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her the best he could between the pain, and all the wires and tubes, and held her close. “It’s ok… I’m ok,” he said, over and over in her ear.

Steve turned moist eyes onto Chin and Kono who looked a bit choked up themselves. Clearing his throat, he spoke to Chin.

“So… fill us in. I guess you could say Danny and I were a bit out of it there at the end. What happened?”

Annie sat more comfortably on the bed next to Danny. Chin pulled up a chair between the two beds and with Kono by his side, he began to fill them in.

“As we suspected all along, it was all about the flash drive. It was the only remaining record of all of Cordoba’s transactions and activities. We’re still not sure if it was an original or a copy but we are sure it was the only one left and he needed to get his hands on it and destroy it.”

“Destroy it?” Danny asked. “Why would he want to destroy it if it was so valuable to him?”

“Because he was under orders to do it.”

“Orders from who?” Steve asked. “I didn’t think Cordoba answered to anyone.”

“Oh…. he answered to someone all right.” Kono put in. “Congressman Sheldon Lankford.”

“What?” Annie exclaimed. “What the hell does he have to do with anything?”

“Well…. there’s the confirmation we needed to answer a speculation we’ve been going with. That you had no idea he was involved with any of this because that information was removed from the NYPD files you and Tony were assigned to investigate.”

“I think you better start from the beginning,” Steve said.

Chin cleared his throat and continued. “Annie and Tony were assigned to investigate all the NYPD files on Cordoba. Within those files was evidence that Lankford, then head of the DEA, orchestrated the raid that set up cartel leader, Diego Andres, for the fall that resulted in Cordoba taking over the organization. Once Cordoba was in power, he bankrolled Lankford’s election bid for Congress. After Lankford won, he used his influence to steer the Feds away from Cordoba’s dealings.”

“Wait a minute,” Annie interrupted. “There was nothing in those files about any of that.”

“It was there, Annie.” Kono said. “You remember how you said you and Tony hadn’t gotten to all the files before you were assigned to the warehouse raid? That assignment was deliberate. You were put on that detail to get you away from those files. While you were away, Sanchez went through and removed all evidence that related to Lankford. And just in case you and Tony had managed to find the evidence before Sanchez could get to it, Cordoba gave orders that both you and Tony were to die in that raid.”

“What was Sanchez’s deal in all this?” Danny asked.

“Money…. power… a sense of prestige,” Annie speculated. “I don’t know. His father wanted him to be an attorney but he wanted to be a cop. He sucked at both. I suppose being part of Cordoba’s inner circle gave him the sense of importance he always wanted.”

“So Lankford gave the order to get that flash drive back so there would be absolutely no evidence that he was in bed with the cartel.” Danny stated.

“That sounds about right.” Annie said. “Alex told me in that room that he was the one to plant the seed in my Captain’s head about adding me and Tony to the raid.” She sadly shook her head. “He _**knew**_ we were both going to die there. All because we _**might**_ have seen something in those files. I still can’t believe it. He was a friend.”

“How did you end up finding us?” Steve asked.

“Toast.” Kono answered. “He cracked the encryption on the drive, found the link to Lankford and then found the real estate listing on the building you were in. He manned the surveillance van during the raid and found the secondary entrance point to where you were being held. He was incredible. He worked round the clock on this. We owe him a lot.”

“God bless that strung-out ATM hacker,” Danny said affectionately.

Chin just chucked. “I wouldn’t count on seeing him anytime soon to thank him though. He said something about needing to spend some time “meditating.” He probably won’t resurface for days!” They all laughed at that thought.

But then Danny became serious. “I just want to thank you guys. If you two hadn’t gotten there when you did… taken down Cordoba and Sanchez …. the doctor said I’d have died and I’m sure Steve would have too.”

“Don’t just thank us,” Kono said. “I may have taken out Cordoba but it was Annie who got Sanchez.”

“What? How?” Steve puzzled as he looked at Annie. “You were restrained too.”

Annie looked down at the floor. “It wasn’t anything. I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done.”

“She’s being modest.” Chin said. “She worked the ropes off her arms and then her legs and took Sanchez down… hard. She managed to get the drop on him and get his gun away from him. Because of her, we were able to take him alive and we’ll be able to flip him to get what we need for the Justice Department to go after Lankford.”

“That’s how you hurt your arms, isn’t it?” Steve asked and Danny glanced down to look at her bandaged arms. “You said you ‘managed to get loose.’ How?”

“Right before that goon knocked you out…. you remember? Sanchez had lifted the chair I was tied to….” Steve’s expression darkened at the memory and Danny was going a bit pale.

“Well, when he slammed the chair back down, the force of it made the back of the chair give way a bit. He didn’t realize it wasn’t as strong as he thought. Anyway, I noticed I was able to move my arms around under the ropes a bit. That’s why I spit in his face. To get him away from me before he noticed it too. After a bit of time, I was able to work the ropes loose enough to get my arms out. Well, almost loose enough.” She said, softly rubbing her hand over the bandage on the opposite arm.

“I said it before Annie, and you just proved me right. You’re a damn good cop.” Steve told her.

Danny was looking at Annie in a way she’d never seen before. When she looked him in the eye she saw what she had always hoped to see there. Not just the love of a brother for his sister that she’d always seen but something even deeper. He was finally looking at her as a fellow law enforcement officer. As an equal, a comrade in arms. Looking at her with a bond based not only on the love he always had for her but now, also based on pride, admiration and respect.

He gave Annie a warm hug but then a question needled its way into his head. “May I ask, just what events transpired to find the two of you in that room with me anyway? I assumed you’d see that video of me was a setup for a trap.”

Steve nervously cleared his throat. “Yeah, the fact the GPS coordinates for the first warehouse was the only file other than the video on that phone, made it kind of obvious.”

“And yet, you found yourself… both of you… in Cordoba’s clutches anyway. Pray tell, how did that happen, Steven?”

Chin and Kono were chuckling with undisguised mirth. When Danny looked his way, Chin held his hands up in front of him as if he expected to have to physically defend himself. “Don’t look at me, brah. I tried to stop them. Even told them you’d disapprove. They wouldn’t listen.”

“What did you do?” Danny almost growled into Annie’s ear as he stared Steve down.

“Now Danny, you need to stay calm.” Annie began. “The doctor said you need your rest. This conversation can wait until later.” She threw a worried look at Steve.

“We didn’t do anything, Danny. We went to the warehouse where we thought you were being held and Cordoba’s men got the drop on us. Shit just happens sometimes.” Steve answered.

Danny wasn’t having one bit of it. “You went in without backup, didn’t you? And not only that, you dragged my sister in there with you.”

“It was her idea!” Steve childishly protested which made Chin and Kono chuckle even more.

“It was her idea? What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’re the Commander.” He ranted, putting air quotes around “Commander”. “Oh no, I know exactly what happened. She didn’t want to wait for HPD to get there and since you _**never**_ want to wait, you naturally seized on the opportunity to finally have an ally to be completely reckless with. I knew it! I told you! Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t trust the shenanigans you two could get into together? Going into a situation that was an obvious trap without backup!”

“But Danny…..” Steve began.

“Do _**not**_ “but Danny” me, Steven! I swear to God, if you _**dare**_ to even _**try**_ to utter any combination of syllables that even remotely resemble the words “Annie was the backup” I will heave this broken body out of this bed and flatten you!”

That did it! Chin, Kono and Annie couldn’t control their laughter any longer especially when Steve had a look on his face like a puppy who just got his nose whacked for peeing on the floor. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes Chin looked over at Steve.

“You can’t say I didn’t warn you, brah!”

“Good morning everyone” came the sing-song voice of Carol the nurse as she breezed into the room. “So wonderful to see everyone up and happy and ready to start a new day. You three…” she said waving a hand at Chin, Kono and Annie “...off you go. Go get something to eat or better yet, go home and get some real rest. These two have dates with half a dozen different departments this morning so this slumber party is over.”

They all laughed and after hugs and reassurances all around that everything was going to be fine, the three of them left Steve and Danny in Carol’s more than capable hands.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well… here we are gang. The final chapter of this long story. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read my story and those who were also kind enough to leave reviews. This was my very first multi-chapter story and, thanks to all of you, a most enjoyable experience.
> 
> I again want to thank my wonderful Beta, @Jlopie1, for her tireless efforts in helping me get this story ready to publish. I couldn’t have done it without her. We make a great team Lynnette! Luv ya sistah! ♥

 

It took five days before the doctors deemed Steve well enough to leave the hospital. They had been able to effectively battle back the infection in his arms but the severity of the concussion had him reeling and nauseous every time he attempted to even fully sit up in bed let alone walk the measly five feet to the toilet. When he was finally able to cross that small distance without face planting into the linoleum they let him go home with strict instructions to rest and be extremely careful, since the headaches and dizziness could last for weeks. That meant no driving, no swimming and no work until fully cleared.

The extent of Danny’s injuries needed an extra week before the doctors would even discuss letting him go home. And, his home was out of the question anyway. He was in no condition to take care of himself. His head was also off kilter from a concussion and the after effects from the cracked and broken ribs, the stab wound and the resulting peritonitis, left Danny exhausted and weak. He still had a lot of healing to do so he was also going to be out of commission until fully cleared.

Steve was cranky and miserable, holed up in the house. Danny was cranky and miserable because in his condition he couldn’t take care of himself and worse, he couldn’t take care of Grace, which meant she’d be spending a lot more time at Rachel’s. So it was mutually decided by the rest of the gang that in order to keep them both from doing something stupid out of desperation or sheer boredom that would risk both their recoveries and also to preserve everyone else’s sanity, Danny should move into Steve’s house for the duration of their convalescence.

It really wasn’t a surprise when neither man had a problem with that. Since Annie was still staying at Steve’s place, Danny and Steve would have someone always there to look out for them and make them both toe the line. This made Annie happy. Steve had Danny to keep him company, which made Steve happy and, since Annie was there to be the adult, Grace could be there more as well, which of course, made Danny extremely happy. Chin and Kono promised Annie all the backup she needed but were extremely relieved to let her take command so they didn’t need to be in the line of fire.

The first week they were all together in the house went relatively smoothly since both men were too sore and weak to be too much of a pain in the ass. Annie had parked Steve in the recliner and Danny on the sofa with the TV tuned to the NFL channel and the remote control within easy reach and told them both, in no uncertain terms, to stay put or risk more physical damage…. from her. They both scowled and grumbled but since neither one had more strength than a kitten, there wasn’t much they could do. Pain killers every four hours had them hovering between pleasantly buzzed and totally asleep most of the time.

Week two proved a bit more problematic when Steve decided he was bored with being injured and just wasn’t going to _**be**_ injured anymore. Since he still couldn’t go swimming because of the bandages on his arms as well as his ongoing concussion symptoms, which also kept him out of his truck, he decided he could at least run. Well, more like a brisk walk along the beach, but he was getting out of the house and that was all there was to it. So it was that Annie and Danny found themselves sitting comfortably in the chairs on the beach outside Steve’s house enjoying the sun and the ocean breezes, and waiting for Steve to finally decide it was time to come home.

“So…” Annie began, “is he always like this when he’s hurt?”

“You mean, a stubborn pain in the ass who refuses to accept he’s hurt and thinks he can just rub dirt on it and it will go away? Basically, yeah!”

Annie chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t envy you trying to deal with him if he’s like this all the time.”

“Yes…” he heaved dramatically with his hand over his heart, “...it’s a cross I must bear, I’m afraid,” but then added, “Well…he’s really not so bad.” he conceded with a smile.

When Annie laughed at that Danny continued more seriously. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had Annie. When I first came here I was lost. I came for Grace and she was all I had. HPD wasn’t too fond of the outsider haole trying to be part of their inner circle. I hated it here more than I can ever say. Then I walked into that garage over there and found a hard ass Navy SEAL trampling all over my crime scene and my life changed forever. By hijacking my entire life, he gave me purpose and a reason to be here in the days between when I could be with Grace.

We do the kind of police work that I never thought I’d be a part of and its good work. But more important than that; Chin and Kono are more than colleagues, they are family. What they like to call here, “Ohana”. And Steve isn’t just my partner, not just my best friend. I _**do**_ see him as another brother. This place has become home and I can’t imagine ever leaving here and if you even think of telling Steve that, I swear on Grandma Molly’s grave I’ll never speak to you again!”

Annie just smiled. “I can see it Danny. The way your team worked and fought to find you, to find all of us, it was remarkable. You’re very lucky to have such a wonderful team…. family here. I really envy you. I don’t know what it’s going to be like when I get home. I felt the exact same way about Tony and now he’s gone. I can’t imagine walking into that squad room and not finding him there.”

“I know. I understand more than you realize. You watched Tony die… the same way I watched my partner Grace die. I was able to take down those responsible and so were you. It doesn’t make it easier to walk into that room without them there but at least we both know those who took them away from us paid for what they did. It’s nowhere near enough, but it helps.”

Annie irritably wiped at her damp eyes. “Damn….” she muttered as she got up from her chair and made her way back to the house. It was at that moment Steve returned from his walk and made his way up to where Danny was sitting. Watching Annie walk away with her head bowed and rubbing at her eyes, Steve asked, “She ok?”

“Yeah… she will be. It’s just hitting her that it’s finally over and she’s wondering what comes next.”

“She was remarkable Danny. You should be very proud of her.”

“I am Steven…. I am. So… are you done jeopardizing your recovery for the day or are you gonna drop and do fifty just for the hell of it?”

Steve huffed as he heavily sat in the chair Annie had just recently vacated. “No… I’m done. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. This chair is feeling damn good right about now. I may not move again until dinner.”

“Here,” came Annie’s voice from behind his left shoulder as she handed him a tall cold glass of lemonade, “You look like you could use this.”

_**“Hey!”**_ Danny began to protest.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist… there’s one here for you too.”

“Well, that’s more like it.” Danny said while Steve grinned at him over his frosty glass.

“Kono just called. She said not to start on any food for dinner. She and Chin have it covered. They’ll be over as soon as they close up shop for the night. Something about a “family barbeque” being in order.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Steve said as he heaved himself stiffly out of the chair. “I need a long hot shower.”

“And just what defines “long” in your book of Navy regulations, Steven? Going to throw caution to the wind for the second time today and stay in the shower for an entire three and _**a half**_ minutes?!” Danny teased.

“Very funny. The way I feel right now, I may just have to push it to four!” He said with a wink in Annie’s direction.

“Lunatic.” Danny good naturedly grumbled as Steve made his way into the house.

 

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

  
They were all sprawled around Steve’s living room with the TV on, after enjoying a fantastic dinner courtesy of Chin’s skills at the grill and copious amounts of alcohol (mostly for the others as Danny and Steve were still on “as needed” pain meds) when the news broke. They were all instantly alert and on the edges of their seats.

 

  
_Good evening. This is Anderson Cooper. Tonight we begin our broadcast with breaking news out of Washington. We have just received word that moments ago, agents of the Justice Department arrested New York Congressman Sheldon Lankford, removing him from his Congressional office on Capitol Hill in handcuffs as his stunned staffers looked on. We have no definitive word on the reason for his arrest, but sources close to the investigation say Congressman Lankford has been directly linked with Colombian kingpin Emilio Cordoba, who was killed during a suspected kidnapping raid in Hawaii 3 weeks ago. These sources claim the Congressman is being accused of multiple crimes, including, but not limited to, extortion, money laundering, influence peddling and racketeering in connection with Cordoba’s drug cartel. It is also being reported that disgraced New York City Assistant District Attorney Alexander Sanchez, who was arrested during the same raid which resulted in the death of Cordoba, is cooperating with authorities. It is believed the cooperation of Mr. Sanchez was instrumental in the Justice Department’s case against Congressman Lankford. Stay tuned to CNN for further developments._

 

“Well, how about that!” Kono exclaimed as Chin and Steve happily shook hands. “Sanchez won’t be long for this world once he hits prison, whatever deal he’s made with the Feds. An ex-cop and an ex-prosecutor not to mention Cordoba has a lot of allies on the inside who won’t look kindly on his “cooperation”. We done good!”

“Damn straight!” Danny countered as he put his hand on Annie’s shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. “You did it Annie! You did exactly what you came out here to do. Tony would be proud.”

It was really over? Annie just sat there staring at the TV, not really ready to believe it was actually over. Her eyes teared up, thinking again about Tony, as she watched Lankford being led down the Capitol steps in handcuffs, surrounded by Feds and press, looking pale and gaunt and positively terrified. Finally, after several moments, she drew in a calming breath, gave herself a small nod of acceptance and turned to the others.

“I don’t know what to say to you…. to all of you… except thank you. I can’t tell you what it means to me that you were all there for me in this. What you went through for me….” she looked at Steve and Danny. “I will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done.” She finished, tears threatening to escape once again.

Pulling herself together, she forcibly straightened her shoulders and wiping at her eyes, she grumbled, “I don’t know what’s gotten into me these days. Must be all the damn flowers around here making my eyes water all the time. Seriously... must there be flowers _**everywhere**_ on this damned island?!?”

The tension in the room effectively broken, they all burst into laughter. Steve turned to Danny, wiping his own tears of laughter from his eyes and said, “Oh God, Danny! She is so definitely your sister!”

Putting his arm around his sister and pulling her close Danny responded, “She sure as hell is!”

 

  
~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~~~H50~~

 

  
Surfing on the North Shore ---- check

Pearl Harbor ---- check

Kualoa Valley (minus the dead body) ---- check

Weekend retreat on Maui ---- check

Helicopter tour of the volcanos on the Big Island ---- check

Horseback riding on Lanai ---- check

Pretty much all of everyone’s favorite restaurants on Oahu ---- check

In recognition of her work in bringing down not only Cordoba but Sanchez and Lankford as well, Annie’s Captain gave her an extended, paid leave of absence as a reward. So with the case wrapped and Steve and Danny well on the road to recovery, Annie had been determined she was going to do and see as much as she possibly could of Hawaii before she had to go home to New York.

Sitting in the departure lounge at Honolulu International Airport waiting for her flight home, she mentally went through everything she’d seen and done and made herself a promise that she would come back as often as she possibly could. In the month and a half since the case ended she had come to love the islands and couldn’t bring herself to think about never coming back. Besides, Danny and Grace and all her new friends at Five-0 were here. If that wasn't incentive enough to come back, nothing was. Thinking about them all put a huge smile on Annie’s face.

“What’s with the stupid smile?” Danny teased as he and Steve walked up to her carrying coffees for them all. “You so thrilled to be getting off this rock you sit alone in the airport grinning like a loon?”

“What? You think everyone has to be a grumpy grouch like you??” she teased right back.

Steve actually giggled, “She thinks you’re a grouch!”

“That’s enough out of you,” Danny good naturedly grumbled.

They sat and talked and laughed for the three quarters of an hour before Annie’s flight was to board. When the time came, it was with a heavy heart she stood to take her leave of them.

She reached out and enveloped Steve in a warm hug. “Thank you for everything,” she said as she hugged him tight. She whispered in his ear, “Take care of him.”

“Always.” He responded as he wholeheartedly returned the hug. Then stepping back, he said, “We all make a good team. If you ever want to consider a career in Island law enforcement, let me know.” He smiled as he let her go.

She then turned to her brother. “I’m going to miss you.” She said as she took him into a bone crunching embrace. “You make sure to give Gracie a big hug from me when she gets out of school and tell her to call me with all her news, all right?”

Danny held her just as tightly. “You take care of yourself out there, you hear me? No unnecessary risks. Keep your head down. Watch your back….”

“Danny…” she interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

“Ok... ok….” he conceded. “Give mom and pop and the family my love. Tell them I’ll call in a few days.” Then he paused, looking her deep in the eyes. “I love you … you know!”

Swallowing the large lump in her throat Annie nodded. “I know. I love you too.” Then throwing sentimentality aside as they always did she stood back from him and said, “Try not to be a complete pain in the ass to everyone, will ya?”

Danny just laughed and giving her one last loving hug, watched as she walked down the jet way to the plane that would take her home.

Danny heaved a heavy sigh as Annie took the last turn and disappeared from sight.

Placing a strong hand on Danny’s shoulder Steve said, “She’s a great girl Danny and a great cop. You don’t have to worry. She’s gonna be fine.”

“Yup… she sure is.”

“So…. just what do I pack for this trip to New Jersey?” Steve asked knocking their shoulders together.

“Trip to New Jersey? What trip to New Jersey?” Danny asked, puzzled.

“Oh... that’s right. You were kind of unconscious for that part, weren’t you?” Steve laughed.

“I think we need to head home so you can fill me in on this supposed trip we’re taking. I just know my sister is behind this, bane of my existence that she is. Is it any wonder the two of you get along so well?” Danny ranted.

Steve just laughed. “She said your folks would love it.”

“You know what?” he said with a warm smile. “They probably would. So, what do you say, big guy? Ready to get outta here?”

“Whatever you say Danno… whatever you say.”

THE END


End file.
